Anna Moon, Ravenclaw Girl
by Lilith True
Summary: Ever wonder what goes on in the other houses at Hogwarts? Here is the story of one girl, and her friends in Ravenclaw.
1. A Fire at the Orphanage

"Mummy, tell me a story."

"What's the magic word?"

"Please?"

* _A sigh and a smile_ * "All right dear. How about your favorite? Harry Potter?"

"No, mummy, not that book!"

"Well, what then? The story of how Dumbledore defeated Grindlewald?"

"Nope."

"The story of Rowena Ravenclaw?"

"Uh-uh!"

* _exasperated_ * "Maddy, what _would_ you like me to read?"

"Not _read_ Mummy, _tell!_"

"You want me to tell a story."

"Yes!"

* _another, smile, this one thoughtful_ * "Very well. I haven't told a story in ages. Hmm… well, I suppose I shall begin at the beginnig…

…Not so long ago, in a place not so very far from here, lived a little girl. She was a very special little girl, indeed, as all little girls are. However, this child was especially special, for she had a strange way of making the most unlikely things happen, from themorning she had been found on the steps of Miss Lillian Marple's home for abandoned children. The sleeping baby had been found wrapped in a lavender blanket, with a note pinned to it. Please, it read in a wavy script, take good care of Anna Selene Moon. Or at least, this was the story that Miss Marple had told Anna as soon as she had been old enough to ask. Anna was now six, and very inquisitive indeed. Miss Marple did not mind this, as she was a very kind lady, but answering questions for the 29 children who lived at the home proved very exhausting at times. So, noting the tiredness with which Miss Marple retold the story, Anna decided she would move on to other stories. The home had a rather large parlor,in which one could find the most enchanting books, full of tales of kings and queens, knights, princesses and castles. Anna spent most of her time after lessons perched atop a tall ladder in the corner of the dark, dusty room, reading. Here she, sat, her hand resting on her cheek the day my story begins.

Sunlight streamed in through the windows of the wood paneled room, illuminating the small, red pigtailed figure, lost in a magical world. Her green eyes large and gleaming, she turned the final page and sighed. "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair…" She closed the book, gazing dreamily down upon her favorite room. Her dreamy expression quickly changed to a scowl as she saw a boy duck his curly brown head in the doorway. 

"Is your highness too busy to come help us clean?" he asked, with a sparkle in his eye. "Miss Marple asked me to come get you."

Ignoring the boy, Anna climbed down the ladder, and walked past him to the door. As she passed by, he reached out a hand and gave one of the wavy pigtails running down her back a fierce yank. With a yelp, she turned, but he had already run out into the hall. "I'll get you Roger, I swear it," she muttered under her breath. She trudged up the curving staircase to the room where the children slept. Cleaning was not one of Anna favorite chores. 

*****

That night, long after the lights went out, a small group of children met in a circle on the floor of their room. They listened, wide eyed, as Anna read them a story from the book of fairy tales she had been reading earlier.

"…and they lived happily ever after."

"Oh, Anna," whispered a small girl who was on the verge of tears. "That was even better than the one you told last week!"

Anna smiled at the girl. "Thank you Clarabelle, I- " she cut off shortly as someone appeared in the doorway. 

"Oh, it's just Roger," said another child. "Hey, Roger, why're you up so late?"

"None of your business," replied the boy. "Besides, you're all up as well."

"Yes, but we're _reading_" Clarabelle replied indignantly. 

Roger replied with a snort. 

"Just 'cause you can't read Roger, doesn't mean that we shouldn't," replied a freckle faced boy. With an expression that was hard for Anna to read in the dark, Roger turned and walked back down the stairs, from where he had come. 

Anna turned to the little boy. "Roger can't read?" she asked in amazement. After all, he was a few years older than her.

"Nope," replied the little boy. "he isn't as smart as you, Miss Anna. At the place he was before, they didn't teach." 

Anna blushed and smiled at the first remark, but inwardly she was shocked by the second. _Not able to read! _She couldn't imagine, if she was unable to read, what would she do? As annoying as Roger was, she couldn't help but feel a spark of pity for him.

"One more story Anna, please?" pleaded Clarabelle. 

Anna turned and looked at her. "I'm sorry Clare, I'm just too tired to read any more. Next week."

Disappointed, the small circle broke, and climbed into their beds. As Anna tucked herself in, she looked over at the bed next to hers. Clarabelle's round face peered out at her, framed by her golden ringlets. "Thanks, Anna," she murmured sleepily. Anna smiled back, and snuggled deeper into her cozy bed. She was just about to fall asleep, but then she realized that she was not alone under the warm blankets. Her toes brushed something furry. With a small scream, she jumped out of bed, and pulled the covers off. There, at the foot of her bed, was a squirrel. Anna stared at it, and it stared back. After what seemed like ages footsteps came rushing down the hall. Miss Marple entered the room, staring about wildly. "What's wrong," she gasped, seeing Anna standing as if petrified in the corner. Roger appeared silently behind her, slipping into the room and to his bed with a slight smirk on his face. Anna stared at him, open mouthed, as it dawned on her exactly how the rodent had found it's way into _her_ bed. Composing herself, she answered.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Miss Marple. I just found _that_ in my bed…" she pointed "…and it gave me a surprise, that's all."

Miss Marple's eyes narrowed. "We do not have squirrels in this building. How, pray tell, did one end up in your bed?" Her eyes swept the room, landing on a now rather uncomfortable-looking Roger. "Roger, did you put this _creature_ in Anna's bed?"

Roger mumbled "Well, not exactly…"

"I can't hear you young man." Miss Marple's face, usually so pretty and youthful, was now looking oh-so-very stern.

"No, I didn't actually _put _it there," he replied.

Miss Marple sighed, looking weary. "Roger, it's late. I'll speak to you more about this, _and_ about your punishment, in the morning." With that she turned and left. Anna turned back to her bed. The squirrel, which had been there the second before, was now nowhere to be seen. Somehow this didn't phase her. Things had a habit of disappearing, and appearing, out of thin air in this old house. Clarabelle swore it was ghosts, but somehow, Anna didn't think so. 

*****

The next morning, Anna rose bright and early. She had wanted to ask Roger if he really couldn't read. However, she found he was already gone. 

Anna went down the stairs, and into the kitchen. A few of the other children were already up, and eating. Two of the places had already been cleared, the one at the head of the table where Miss Marple ate, and the place where Roger usually sat. Anna sat down, and helped herself to hot chocolate and a croissant. She looked about at the other children. Two of the younger boys, Sam, the freckle-faced child, and his friend Matthew were discussing some plot of theirs in low voices, giggling occasionally. The others were older children, ones she didn't talk to. She preferred to hang around with the younger ones in the group, they seemed to need her. Most of the older ones just cast sullen glances in her direction, and kept talking to one another. Anna pitied them somehow, for she had heard that most of them were too old to be wanted. Although families rarely came to Miss Marple's as it was, the ones who did usually took the cutest, youngest children from the group. Anna's stomach turned slightly at the thought that perhaps she never would have real family, that perhaps she would remain here, with Miss Marple. True, Miss Marple was kind, but she just wasn't … Anna searched in her head for the right word… a _mother._ Looking down at her plate, she realized she was no longer hungry. A good book, that's what she needed to cheer her up. Anna took her plate to the sink, washed it, and headed off to the parlor.

She checked on the doorway. There was Roger, dusting the lower shelves. She approached him cautiously, but he ignored her. 

"What are you doing in here?" No answer.

"I thought you told Miss Marple you didn't do it," she continued, sounding as if that was highly unlikely.

"I didn't say that," he replied shortly, refusing to look at her. Anna gave up, and wandered over to the ladder. Half way up, she picked out a book. She climbed to the top, and sat down, legs crossed. She opened her book, but continued to watch him, peering over the top edge. "Is it true you can't read?" she asked after a long silence.

Without looking at her he replied. "Can you? You're holding that book upside down." Anna blushed.

"I just wanted to know," she retorted. 

He turned toward her, a scowl on his face. "NO, I CAN'T READ! DOES THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY?"

At that moment there was a loud crack. Anna felt the ladder give beneath her, felt herself falling. A sound like that of rushing water, of waves, the ocean filled her head. _I can't fall _she thought wildly. _I won't fall. _At this, time seemed to be going slower, in fact, the ground didn't rush to meet her as it should have. She grabbed at the air around her, then realized that she was heading ground ward, head first. Like a cat in slow motion, she was able to right herself before she hit the floor with a loud thud. "Ouch."

Roger rushed over, his face pale. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I really didn't – what was that you did?"

Trembling, Anna looked up at him. "I don't know," she whispered, her face ashen.

Miss Marple rushed in. "What was that?! –" she saw the broken ladder, saw Anna sitting on the floor in a daze, Roger standing there, pale as a sheet. "What happened?" she demanded.

Roger spoke. "The ladder, it just cracked –" he glanced at Anna "- and Anna fell, but it was weird, she seemed to slow down and twist just before she hit the ground."

Miss Marple sat down next to Anna, an expression of concern, mixed with something Anna couldn't define, written on her pretty face. "Anna, are you hurt?"

Anna shook her head. Miss Marple placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You're a very lucky girl Anna. Please, be careful." With that she stood up, and wiped (could it be?) a tear away from her eye. In an odd voice she said "Roger, I believe that's enough." She turned and swept out of the room. Anna looked up at Roger, who, after staring back for a moment, turned and ran out the door and up the stairs.

*****

After a long, tiring, confusing day, Anna was ready for bed. "No stories tonight," she had told Clarabelle wearily. This must be how Miss Marple felt. Anna didn't want to ever be an adult, if it meant feeling like this. As she passed Miss Marple's room, she noticed a glowing light coming from under the door. She stopped in her tracks as she heard a strange voice, a crisp, older voice. Torn between fear of being caught, and curiosity, she stopped and listened.

"Lillian, (Anna knew this must be Miss Marple's first name) the children may not be safe here. Perhaps you should consider relocation."

Leave here? Anna's heart beat fast. Surely Miss Marple wouldn't – 

"I know, Witt, today the Moon child almost fell and broke her neck! But that had nothing to do with that, except for the boy. If only the other home hadn't been found, none of this would have happened. I can't bear to leave this place. Where would we go? What could I tell the children?" Miss Marple let out a sigh. "Really Witt, I don't know if I can do this anymore."

The other, older voice (Witt?) spoke. "He is not a threat anymore, Lillian. At least not for now. But there are others, you need to watch out for followers. So many people think it's over, now would be the perfect time to attack. I'll speak with the headmaster, ask him what he thinks." Anna leaned in, pressing her ear to the door. Headmaster? What headmaster? "I must go, Lillian. I will speak with you in the morning." Anna started up, expecting the mysterious visitor to open the door at any moment. Hiding in the shadows, she watched. But the moments passed, turned into minutes. Finally the door opened. Miss Marple glided out, apparently alone, and went into her room at the end of the hall. When she was sure she was gone, Anna peered into the keyhole of the door. Darkness. Thinking a million things at once, Anna went into the children's room, and fell into bed exhausted.

*****

Anna's thoughts carried over into a restless slumber. She dreamed the same dream she dreamed every night, the one with the garden, and the falling tree blossoms, and the beautiful singing. But this night the dream was slightly different. She wandered into the small house. Her eyes adjusted, and she saw the room with a fire going in the hearth. Odd, in the middle of spring. Then, in the fire, appeared a face. Speaking in the voice she had heard talking to Miss Marple, it told her to leave, run away, before something bad happened. Anna tried to run from the room, but the smoke engulfed her, pulled her back. She heard screaming in the distance. The flames leapt around her, she heard someone yelling her name – 

Anna sat up in her bed, coughing. The room was filled with smoke. Was she still dreaming? She felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her. "Anna wake up!" It was Clarabelle, her blue eyes filled with tears. 

"Clare – what's going on?!"

"We're stuck Anna, the house is burning, and we can't get out!"

Anna's mind came into focus. The house was, indeed on fire. The doorway was blocked with flames, Anna couldn't see the rest of the hall. The older children were yelling, the younger ones, crying, or huddling in their beds. "We have to leave," Anna murmured. Jumping out of bed, she ran to the window, and opened it, fanning smoke out. 

Suddenly, a figure was by her side, helping her fan away the smoke. "It's not working!" the boy coughed. Anna could tell by the voice that the person was Roger. Her eyes stung, making it hard to see.

"What can we do?" Roger ducked back into the smoke.

The two children stuck their heads out the window. There, out on the lawn, was Miss Marple, gazing up at the burning house in shock. A fire brigade was there as well, trying to get the hydrant across the street attached to the hose. "The children!" screamed Miss Marple, as a fireman pulled her away from the flames. "There are children inside!"

Roger reappeared with several bed sheets. "Quick, help me tie these together!" The two children furiously knotted the ends. Roger threw the one end of the make-shift rope out the window."Smallest first!" he cried. "Davy, Matthew…" The two little boys clambered over. Roger held the rope as they shimmied down. "Clarabelle… Thomas… Ella" Anna ran to the back of the room where little Ella was huddled, and tried to pick her up. The three year old was too heavy, so Anna dragged her to the window.

"You've got to hold on to the rope now, Ella. Just pretend that you're Jack, and you need to get away from the horrid giant." The little girl nodded, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Hurry!" called Roger. Anna helped Ella grasp a hold of the sheets. The little child climbed down to safety. 

There were only six left, including Roger and Anna. "Charlotte… Joseph… Aidan… Nora…" Finally, they were the only ones. They looked at the rope and then each other.

Roger took a deep breath, causing him to cough. "Well, Anna, you'd better get down."

"But what about you?" she asked.

He shrugged.

"Here, tie it to the bedpost," she said. "I'll test it."

He complied. Anna threw a leg over the sill, closed her eyes in a silent prayer for a moment, and grabbed the sheets. She felt the knots strain against her weight as she clambered down. Her feet touched the earth. She started to shake.

"Anna!" cried Miss Marple, rushing toward her. Anna saw she was crying. Miss Marple threw her arms around her. They stood there, watching, waiting…

Anna saw Roger at the window, his face pale beneath the hazel curls. He carefullystarted down the rope. But, at the second story windows, he stopped. Anna saw why. The knots was unraveling quickly.

"Roger!" all the children screamed as he fell away from the burning building. It was too much for Anna. She fainted, falling in a heap on the grassy lawn.


	2. Agatha Morpheus

Agatha Morpheus

Chapter Two

Anna awoke with a start. What a horrid dream she'd had. 

But as her eyes adjusted to the white walls of the room around her, her heart jumped to her throat. It hadn't been a dream. She tried to get out of bed, to stand up, but the room swirled around her, and her legs seemed to not be working properly. She fell to the floor.

A lady dressed all in white hurried into the room. "Oh, dear!" she exclaimed, dropping the tray she'd been carrying. She ran over and helped Anna back into bed.

"You have to rest dear. You've been through a terrible shock," the nurse said soothingly. Anna felt wide awake.

"How's Roger?" 

"He's fine, dear."

"And the other children?"

"All fine." The nurse smiled. "I heard you were quite brave. Now you just need to relax…"

"How's Miss Marple?"

The nurse ignored the question, smoothing down the blankets.

"How's Miss Marple?" Anna repeated.

The nurse looked down at her. "Your caretaker disappeared shortly after the accident. The police are trying to track her down to ask her a few questions. She just vanished, into thin air. Now go to sleep, darling." The lady turned, collected the things she'd spilled on the floor, and left the room.

Anna rolled over in the bed. Clarabelle was sleeping in the bed nearby. The little girl's golden curls framed her face like a halo. She looked so peaceful and innocent. Anna sighed. Where were they to go now?

**five days later**

Anna tugged at the stiff yellow flowered dress she had been given. All of the clothes she had owned had been burned up in the fire. They hadn't been the best dresses, but certainly, they had been nicer than this! At least she had pockets…

The nurse came into the room, smiling a bit too brightly. "So girls, are you ready for your big day?" Clarabelle made a small noise from her corner. Anna glanced at her. She was wearing the same style dress as Anna's, but hers was a light blue. Her usually wild blonde hair was braided into stiff plaits. Anna winced looking at it. Her own hair was braided too, but she was used to wearing it up. 

They followed the nurse to the lobby. The other children were already assembled there. Anna saw Roger standing toward the back, a sling on his arm. She began to move in his direction, but an imposing figure, clad all in black, appeared in the doorway. Anna turned to look.

It was a lady, tall and thin. Her hair was black, with white streaks above the ears, pulled tightly into a bun. Her face seemed stretched too tightly across her bones. Her half open eyes flickered across the room of children with distaste. 

"These are the children?" she asked, gesturing across the room with a heavily jeweled hand.

"Yes, Ma'am," the nurse replied. "All here and ready."

The tall lady surveyed the group. Anna wished Davy would stop wiping at his nose with the sleeve of his sweater.

"What about that one?" The lady pointed a long, pale finger at Roger, who attempted to straighten up to make himself look taller.

"Oh, he has a broken arm, but that will heal in time."

The lady turned toward the nurse. "Very well. The cars will be waiting outside." With that, she turned on her heel, and glided out the door.

The children were ushered outside by several members of the hospital staff. Sleek black cars pulled around the drive to meet them. "In you go children," the nurse said crisply. As Anna got in, she touched the dark leather of the seat in awe. Davy and Clarabelle piled in, looking about the car as well. Anna didn't know if she'd ever been in one before.Sometimes it was hard to remember which things were her memories, and which things just reminded her of stories she'd read in a book.

The car drove on, farther out into the country. The sky grew dark, and it began to drizzle. None of the children spoke, which was very unusual, especially for the younger two. Anna amused herself by staring out the window, watching the rain make little patterns on the tinted glass.

The cars stopped at a little village for gas, and the children were allowed to stretch their legs while the drivers had a smoke. Soon, they were back on the road. After another ten minutes or so had passed, the cars turned down a small, bumpy road. They seemed to be nearing their destination.

Anna peered out the window. There was an elaborate iron gate, headed with two names – 'Rooksnort and Sniktaw'. As the car proceeded up the windy drive, Anna eyes grew at the surroundings. Several dark brick buildings, topped by somber smokestacks, loomed gloomily against the grey sky. At the top of the hill was an old manor house. It looked very run down. Anna shivered as she stared at the derelict, ivy covered façade. She had a bad feeling about this place.

Once they had parked, the car men came around to the children's doors and opened them. Anna noted how these doors were peculiar; attached to the car at the wrong end. She shivered as she stepped out of the car.

The children were led up the path by a rather gaunt butler in a shabby tailcoat, holding a black umbrella. He opened the massive doors, and nodded the children in. They stood about in the main hall, gazing at the ceiling. The entry was enormous. To her right, Clarabelle saw little Emma shiver. It was quite drafty. The butler passed them. "This way, please."

He led them into a long and narrow dining room, where a table was laid out for a large dinner. At the head was the lady in black. Earlier she had been wearing a long fur coat, but now she was clothed in a black lace dress, complete with a high collar. Her dark brooch glinted with reflected light from the chandelier overhead.

"Welcome, my dears," she said in a soft tone that conveyed no welcoming spirit. "Please, sit."

The children complied, and were brought trays of food. Anna saw Rogers eyes grow wide at the sight of the chops and potatoes. Though she hadn't eaten in quite some time, Anna was not hungry. Her stomach was quivering in strange ways, and it felt as though if she tried to eat, it would all come right back up.

The lady spoke again. "You have come here as my guests," she said with a cold smile. "My name is Ms. Agatha Morpheus, and I am the governess at this… home." The last word sounded very carefully chosen. "I expect you all to be on your best behavior, and to be thankful for what you are given. Of course," she continued, "to pay for your upkeep, you will be expected to do a few small chores." Ms. Morpheus's dark eyes flashed about the group. "You will start tomorrow morning, so I advise you to rest well tonight." With a wave of the hand, she turned, and glided out of the room. "Sweet dreams."

The servants rushed in, taking the half-eaten plates from in front of the children. Roger tried to hold his, his mouth stuffed with cabbage, but a particularly nasty woman wrestled it away from him.

The children brushed their teeth and changed into their stiff blue pajamas in silence. The rooms were all off a long hall, three beds in each, with the bathroom at the end. The first five on either side had the doors open, waiting for their new occupants. The hall continued on into the darkness. Anna wondered what was behind the other doors.

She joined Clarabelle, and an older girl named Abigail, in the second room on the right. She flopped down onto the bed exhausted. The mattress springs groaned with her weight. Anna pulled the thin covers up to her chin. "Goodnight Abby. Goodnight Clarabelle," she whispered. What a strange night it had been… her head hit the pillow, and Anna fell into a restless sleep.

She was standing, in the garden once again. The singing was even more intoxicating – Anna had to find the source of the music. She fought to turn the corner of the small cottage, to reach the back yard. But something was holding her back. She felt as if someone was grabbing her, stopping her legs from working. She had to make it, had to see the owner of the voice. If she didn't, something was going to happen, something bad. Anna cried out in desperation…

"Mother!"

Clarabelle's cries awoke her. Anna jumped up out of bed, to Clarabelle, who was sitting up wide awake, tears streaming down her face. "Anna," she sobbed, "Anna, I want my Mum."

Anna rocked the child back and forth. "Hush, Clarabelle, hush… I'm here." Clarabelle clung tightly to her arms, chubby fingers digging into Anna's skin. After awhile the sobs subsided, and all that could be heard was a child's even breathing.

Anna got back into bed. At the age of six, she was still a 'mother' to several of these children. When they called out in the night, she was there to soothe them. Anna pulled the covers around her, shivering. Clarabelle could remember her mother, she cried for her when she was afraid. Anna had never had that luxury. She had never had a mother. She had no recollection of her parents, none at all.

Yet… she thought as she drifted off once more… sometimes she could swear that she heard a familiar voice in her dreams. It was a pity she could never remember them when she awoke.

A/N ~ Sorry, I know this one's shorter. I have the whole story planned out, and some of the chapters are just bridges to what will happen next (hint, hint!). They're the hardest to write. Anyway, I hope you're enjoying this. Reviews would be appreciated!


	3. Rooksnort and Sniktaw

Rooksnort and Sniktaw

Chapter Three

Ms. Morpheus's definition of "chores" was a bit misleading.

In the morning. Anna was roused by a rather rotund, rosy cheeked woman, who wore a scowl on her face. "Up an' at 'em!" she shouted in her harsh voice as she poked her head into the small room. She turned, and stomped off down the hall to knock on more doors.

Anna blinked her eyes. She could see through the small, grimy window that it was still dark out. She wondered what time it was. In the next bed, Abigail stretched and yawned. Anna pulled herself from the bed. Her back ached, and she strongly suspected this was due to the thin mattress. 

Hanging from a hook on the back of the door were three grey dresses. If Anna had been disappointed at the yellow flowered dress, well… she held up a sleeve. The cloth felt like a potato sack. She closed the door, and slipped out of her pajamas and into her dress. She shivered. Why was this place so cold in early September? The dress was much too big for her, the sleeves reaching her finger tips, and the cloth was thin and scratchy. Anna glanced over at Clarabelle, who was rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Poor Clara, she thought. I must be strong for her. 

With this resolution in mind, Anna strode over to Clarabelle's bed, and handed her the smallest dress. "Clarabelle, it's time to get up. We have to go do our chores now." Clarabelle complied sleepily.

Anna, Abby and Clarabelle stepped out into the hall. They had noticed the growing noise, but out here… it was like a riot. Children they had never seen before ran past, laughing, jumping on each other, stealing hats, calling each other rude names. Anna covered Clarabelle's ears.

They followed the crowd to a small, noisy room with long wooden tables and benches. The rowdy children sat down, and more servants came out and handed them bowls. Anna sat, waiting politely. "C'mon en get it!" the cook yelled. Pandemonium ensued. Children who had been sitting now jumped up from their seats, some clambering over the tables to get to the food. Anna was shocked. A sandy haired boy passed her, and grinned. "Come and get something, before it's all gone. Ye'd be the new kids, eh?" Anna nodded mutely. "My name's Aidan. C'mon!" He pulled Anna and Clarabelle's arms, dragging them over the table to the front of the line. "Budge it!" The kids moved aside. Anna was impressed. Aidan was pretty small and wiry, but the kids obviously obeyed him. They reached the large kettle where a stooped over lady was ladling out some strange whitish mush. Anna wrinkled her nose. "What is this?"

"Porridge," responded Aidan through a half full mouth. "Et up, it's good."

Anna sighed, and resigned herself to the lumpy mass in front of her. Clarabelle watched her intently. Anna's immediate reaction was to spit the nasty stuff out. But then, she widened her eyes. "Mmm… it's good, Clare. Eat!" Clarabelle spooned some into her mouth. Her face turned a greenish color, but she managed to swallow. "Yes, it 'tis."

A bell rang, and the kids got up, moaning and groaning. "What's happening?" Anna asked Aidan.

His face had become set. "Time for work. You girls will probably be filling and sanding, just the menial stuff. The boys have to do the harder stuff, like the sawin' and' carryin'"

Anna glanced over at Roger, with a worried expression. Aidan followed her eyes. 

"Oh, don' worry about him. I'll get him a good job." Aidan puffed up slightly. "I've got connections."

They stepped into a large room, with light pouring in from the high windows. Anna squinted at the sight before her.

There was machinery, saws and belts. The air was full with sawdust. The room smelled of wood and metal, and a horrible burning odor that stung Anna's eyes. "Welcome," said Aidan, with a dramatic sweep of the arm, "to Rooksnort and Sniktaw's sign making factory."

Anna pinched herself, trying to wake up from this dreadful nightmare. "You need to go over there," Aidan nudged. "See that short, fat man? That's Mr. Rooksnort."

Anna followed the crowd of new children over to the man. He was short, and fat, bald but for a few strand of white hair brushed over the top of his head. The whiteness of his hair was made even more apparent by his glowing red face, which he kept mopping the sweat off of with a large handkerchief. He pulled a gold watch out of his vest pocket, and stared at it impatiently. With a wheeze, he began to speak. 

You children have been brought to the Morpheus house. To repay Ms. Morpheus for her kindness in letting you stay here, you have been assigned a job here at the factory. Rooksnort and Sniktaw has a fine tradition of quality signs, and I expect you all to uphold that standard. The younger, and weaker one," he peered at Clarabelle, making her whimper, and pull closer to Anna, "will be sanding and filling sign edges. The older ones amongst you will be doing the harder work, like cutting, and drilling. You will be assigned to an overseer, who will teach you the task you are suppose to perform. It shouldn't be too hard, even for a group like you pansies," he chuckled. 

Anna saw Roger start. She held out a cautioning arm. "Please sir," she asked, "when will we have time for school?"

Mr. Rooksnort looked at her, nostrils flaring. "School? You little worms want schooling?"

Anna nodded timidly. Mr. Rooksnort guffawed. "Please sir," he mimicked. Roger jumped forward. "You watch yourself, boy," said Mr. Rooksnort. "Cripples get thrown away here," he added with a nasty grin. "Gertrude! Aidan!" he called.

Aidan appeared at the door of the room up above. He swung his leg over the rail, and slid down. From the other direction stomped a rather mean looking girl, with short, straw-like brown hair. "You assign these workers their chores."

Aidan smiled at Mr. Rooksnort sweetly, but as he turned his back, Aidan made a very rude gesture. Anna gasped. He grinned devilishly at her. Gertrude saw this, and gave Anna a very sour look. She was rather heavy-set, with a scowl that looked pasted on. Aidan took some of the boys. "You there," he said to Roger, "you can help me upstairs 'til that arm heals." Aidan winked at Anna, then went about dividing the boys.

Gertrude turned. "You will all be taking turns sanding and filling in the edges. I run a tight ship, and don't have any favorites." She shot a look at Aidan's back, as he led the boys off to their work. "You there," she pointed at Anna, "'ere, start sanding." She handed her a bit of rough paper, and directed her toward the signs.

Anna started working. "It'll be fine, just fine," she thought to herself. "I'll just sit here, and imagine it all away. Or even better, I'll think I'm Cinderella, kept at work by her cruel Stepmother and her wicked step-sister… Ouch!" She looked down at her finger. She had nicked it with the sandpaper, and the tip was starting to bleed. She stuck it in her mouth, trying to suck away the hurt. Gertrude glanced over in her direction. "Get back to work!"

Ten long hours later, the children were excused for supper. This time the cook handed out a small portion of meat, and a boiled potato with cabbage. Aidan sat down beside her. "I do wish they'd pass out some salt," he joked cheerily. "All this mush is rather bland. The porridge could do with some too, eh?"

Roger sat down next to Clarabelle, on her other side. Anna turned to him. "How's your arm?"

"Oh, he's fine," responded Aidan. "He was with me all day."

Roger glanced at Aidan coldly. "She asked me, not you. And it's just fine, thank you." He went back to eating his dinner in silence. Aidan raised an eyebrow. 

"Okay mate." He glanced from Roger to Anna, and stuffed some more of his smashed up potato into his mouth.

Anna fell into bed that night, her arms aching to the very core. Clarabelle and Abby were already asleep, from the sound of their peaceful breathing. Anna rolled over, preparing to do the same, but just then, someone rapped lightly on the door.

Anna jumped. "Who's there?" she hissed into the darkness. A sandy blonde head peered round the door. 

"Hullo." It was Aidan. "D'you want to go exploring?"

Anna looked at him as if he were mad. "No. I'm tired, and besides, we'd get caught."

Aidan shrugged. "Suit yourself then. But if you ever want to see the old place…" he grinned, his teeth shining in the dark, "you know where to find me." With that, he was gone.


	4. Roger Reads

Roger Reads

Chapter IV

Anna fell into her bed in a sobbing heap. 

It had been a month since the children had come to Ms. Morpheus's Home. And it wasn't really getting worse… but it wasn't getting better either. Anna couldn't stand it anymore, she knew she had to get away from this place, knew she had to leave before her brain exploded…

There was a soft knock at the door. "Go away," she mumbled into her pillow. "Please, go…" Anna lifted her red-rimmed eyes. Roger was standing in the doorway, looking rather uncomfortable. "What do you want?"

"Why are you crying?"

Anna wiped at her eyes. "None of your business. I'm just fine, thank you." She attempted to compose herself.

"No you weren't," said Roger. "You were crying."

"No I wasn't," sniffed Anna, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"Yes, you were. You still are," said Roger, stepping closer, and wiping the tear away.

Anna gave in. "Oh, Roger, it's so dreadful here! I try to imagine it away, but I simply can't be a Princess, not even Cinderella, like this." She held up a blistered and splintered hand.

"Who's Cinderella?" he asked, confused. 

"You've never heard that story?" Anna asked, shocked.

"No." Roger looked embarrassed.

"That's right, I'd forgotten that you can't read," she murmured. Rogers cheeks tinged with pink. Anna wiped the last of her tears away. "Would you like to learn?"

"What, me learn to read?" Roger laughed, a bit shortly. "I can't, I'm too stupid."

"Who told you that?"

He shrugged, and looked away. "People…"

"Well," said Anna, brusquely, "anyone can _learn_ to read. It's not that hard. Would you like me to teach you?"

Roger looked at her now, astonished. "You'd do that… for me?"

Anna shrugged back. "Sure. That is," she added, " if we can find any books in this place. I wonder…" she mused. If anyone knew where to find things around this creepy old house…

*****

"Aidan!" Anna hissed. "Aidan, wake up."

"Whot's going on…" he mumbled, wiping his bleary eyes. 

"Will you take us exploring?"

*****

The three children crept down the hall on tip-toe. Aidan poked his head around a corner, and beckoned Roger and Anna to follow. Anna would have never guessed the house was this large, they seemed to have been walking for ages. Her train of thought was wrecked when Aidan's whispered pierced the darkness. "In here!"

They ducked out of the corridor, into a cavernous room. Anna's eyes adjusted to the dark. The room was rather poorly furnished, just a small desk and a chair, in the center of the room. A moth-eaten oriental rug completed the look. The walls were covered with shelves, but most of them were empty. A few held dusty bottles, full of murky looking fluid, and others held strange globes. "Check this out," hissed Aidan. He handed Roger and Anna a large globe that seemed to be filled with light. Aidan's pale face was illuminated in it. "They say you can see your future in it. Anna shivered and shoved the ball away.

"Let's just get the book."

Aidan looked a bit hurt, but came back with "creepy, huh?"

Roger examined the ball carefully before setting it back on the shelf. Anna crouched down by the few dusty books along the bottom. Roger picked out a heavy volume. "How about this one?" Anna looked at it. 

"Most Potente Potions? No, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Told you Ms. Morpheus is a quack," said Aidan. He lowered his voice. "They say she murdered her husband," he looked at Anna's horrified face with growing glee, "and his rotting body is still somewhere in the mansion."

"Oh, come on," said Roger, "you don't expect us to believe that!" But he looked worried.

"Here," cut in Anna, "I've found one." It was a large, leather bound volume of fairy tales, good, but simple enough for a beginner. "Now let's get back to our rooms."

They started off down the hall in silence, Anna clutching the book. Aidan paused at the blind corner, finger to his lips. He peered around, then – 

"Run!" he mouthed, motioning them frantically back. Anna heard footsteps approaching, quickly. The children ran to the nearest door. Roger got there first, and flung it open. Aidan shut it, but it failed to latch. The three children stood there, petrified, as the footsteps approached.

"Really, Agatha, don't you think it would be wise to remove some of the chosen before he turns us in?" Anna recognized the voice. It was Mr. Rooksnort, mopping at his forehead as he passed, attempting to keep up with the black gliding figure of Ms. Morpheus. Her cold voice came back at him.

"Humphrey, there is no cause for alarm. We will not be turned in, I have made sure of that." Anna shuddered, thinking of the horrid things she now believed Ms. Morpheus capable of. The three listened closely as the footsteps faded down the corridor, turned another corner, and were gone. Four sighs of relief came pouring out.

Four?

The three children jumped. Roger let out a small yelp, and Anna dropped the heavy book with a thud. Standing behind them, motionless, was a tall, thin man. "It's Mr. Morpheus," Anna thought crazily, "back from the dead to seek revenge." She felt as if she was going to faint, until she noticed Aidan shaking in soundless laughter.

"The look on your faces," he managed to gasp, "Priceless!"

The old man raised a bewildered, bushy white eyebrow. "Adrian?"

"It's Aidan, Mr. Sniktaw, sir. Don't worry, he's harmless – just senile," he muttered back at Anna and Roger. "Allow me to introduce my friends. This is the fair lady Anna Moon, and the kind sir Roger…" he paused.

"Don't have a last name," Roger muttered, embarrassed. 

"The kind sir Roger Roger." Roger scowled at him.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," the old man said. He turned back to Aidan, peering at him through thick glasses. "Young master Quimbly…"

"He got that part right," Aidan muttered, aside.

"Do you know where I could go to find a bit of guano?"

"Guano? As in bat dung?" Once again Aidan's sides shook silently. "Well, up in the rafters of the belfry, I suppose, sir."

"Thank you, young master Quimbly. Now you and your friends may continue on your moonlight stroll." Mr. Sniktaw began humming a piece by Vivaldi. Anna realized the old man was clad in pajamas, a dressing robe, and scarlet bedroom slippers. She put a hand to her mouth, attempting to stifle a laugh. "A good day to you, Miss Moon," he added, bowing eloquently. "Now if you don't mind, I'm off to London to have tea with the Princess Margaret." He strode out the door, and down the hall, still humming.

Anna and Roger looked at each other, and burst out laughing.

"Shh…" Aidan hushed them. "We don't want to get caught now," he said crossly. "But yes, Mr. Sniktaw is a barmy old fruit-bat, isn't he?"

They crept back to the east wing, and bid each other goodnight. Anna, for the first time since she had been at Ms. Morpheus's, fell asleep smiling, and dreamt no awful dreams that night. Perhaps it was the comfort of holding a precious book in her arms as she slept.

*****

Over the next few weeks, Anna snuck up to the room where Roger and Aidan worked every chance she could. Roger had somehow managed to get a stash of food, which he had hidden away in a drawer. They would sit there, munching on apple and crackers, while Roger read. Anna sat, listening, and would correct him occasionally.

"…and the prin-cess kissed the hand – the hand –"

"The handsome," Anna interjected. 

"Handsome prince. His eye – sight was res- res-"

"Restored."

"Restored. And they lived happily ever after," he rushed the ending. He looked at Anna, and crinkled his nose. "Why? Why do they always live happily ever after?"

"Because silly," Anna laughed, "who wants to read a story with a sad ending? I suppose sometimes it's all right, like in 'The Little Mermaid', but why would you want to read about unhappy things? People have enough unhappiness in their life as it is."

"No, not people," responded Roger morosely. "Just us. Anyway, why can't we read some story that isn't mushy? Don't you know any stories with action in them? I mean, c'mon, girls don't go around being abducted by wicked witches, and throwing their long hair down. Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your long hair," he mocked, with eloquent hand gestures and a serious face. 

Anna stiffened and collected her books. "If that's the way you feel," she responded quietly, turning to leave.

"I'm sorry," said Roger quickly, "I'm really glad you're helping me, but aren't there other books that are…" he searched for the word, "less lovey-dovey?"

Anna sighed and shook her head. Boys. They just didn't understand. "Fine. Next time I'll bring something with lots of killing and blood and loss of life."

Roger grinned. "Now you're talking!"

That night the three crept back to the library. Anna quickly grabbed a few volumes, then motioned for them to take off. They made it back to the east wing, but as they turned to head to the bathroom, a soft, cold voice called out.

"Aidan? What are you doing out of bed at this hour?"

Anna and Roger cowered in the dark corner. Aidan stepped forward, his light hair gleaming in the light of the candle Ms. Morpheus was holding.

"Aidan, you know the punishment here for disobedience." Aidan swallowed and nodded. "Come with me." With a fearful parting glance, Aidan followed the lady in black back down the hall.

The next morning, Aidan was missing. Anna and Roger did not speak, but kept their heads low over their porridge. Anna worked 'til noon in silence, then snuck off to the room overhead. Roger was there, flipping through one of the books rather unenthusiastically. He set down the book, and looked up at her. "Anna? You know that time in the library, when you almost fell?"

She looked down at him and nodded. What was he getting at? 

A frown crossed his face. "Have you done anything like that since?"

"No. Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "Just wondering." He skimmed a finger across a row of books. "Have you ever been able to make other stuff happen?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"Like what, Roger?"

"Stuff… like making things disappear, or appear… things like that."

She frowned. "Yes, sometimes."

"You know that's not ordinary, don't you?"

"Well, yes, I suppose…"

"Like when Ms, Morpheus could see Aidan last night, but not us? We were standing right there, Anna. How could she have not seen us?"

Anna had been wondering this herself. She just shook her head. "Maybe it was his light hair that she saw. I don't know." She turned to go. "I think I'd better get back."

"Wait…" he reached out sand grabbed her arm. "I want to tell you a story."

She laughed incredulously. "A story?"

"Yes." He looked serious, so Anna sat down, folding her legs beneath her. 

"Go on."

"Once upon a time…" she smiled at this, but he looked very solemn, so she stopped, "there were two worlds. In the one world, strange things were normal. People could fly, and animals could talk. In the other world…" he searched for the right words, "everybody else lived normal lives. Now the normal world knew nothing of the strange one, but the strange one knew of the normal one. But they avoided it for the most part, because they had everything they wanted in their own world."

He looked at her. "Now here's the part you'll like. A lady from the strange world married a man from the normal one. The had some children, and were planning on living happily ever after. But then, a monster came from the strange world. He came, and destroyed the family. Only the one child survived. And this child was… strange." He paused, thinking of what to say next. "The end."

Anna avoided his gaze. "That's an odd story Roger. No details, no descriptions, no real plot…"

"You just don't like it because it doesn't have a happy ending," hissed Roger. "Besides, I don't remember all of it." He lowered his voice even more. "But you do Anna. You remember it, I know you do. You remember every story you've ever been told."

"I've never heard it before in my life," she responded coldly.

Roger threw the book down. "Fine! Ignore the truth. But you know… you know Anna…" he mouthed wordlessly, then gave up, turned around, and stormed off down the stairs.

Anna watched him go, feeling tears welling up in the corners of her eyes. He was being stupid. She wouldn't cry about stupid Roger. Even if he was her friend. Like Aidan… she thought of Aidan and the tears started flowing.

The remainder of the week was awful. Roger wouldn't even look at her, much less speak to her, and Aidan was no where to be found. Anna was getting really worried. She couldn't sleep. Saturday night, she lay in her bed and looked at the moon through the filthy, high window. She wanted to be free, she wanted to fly away from this place. She kept having nightmares, the same one, the one she could never remember when she awoke. Anna slid silently out of her bed. She stuck her head out into the hall. All was quiet. Anna ducked back into the room, grabbed her shoes, and was off down the hall. She crept down to a kitchen door – the front door would be too heavy and too noisy to use. Still, she held her breath as this door creaked open. Stepping outside into the chilly night, she shivered with joy. She was free, out in the night where she belonged. She could leave now, and never return, she told herself, ignoring the little voice of duty that told her she must stay and be strong, be the heroine of her little fairytale. A dog barked in the distance. Anna headed off into the night. 

At the foot of the great hill, he paused. Where to go now? The forest looked dark, but promising. She'd be easier to spot, in these pale blue pajamas, in the field than the woods. She found a little stream and followed it to a large brick fence. She sat down on the fence to rest, pulling her knees up to her chin. That's when she heard it. 

It was a small noise, pitiful, like a child crying. It seemed pretty close by. Anna followed the echo past trees and over roots. Finally, it led her to a clearing. A small stone hut radiated cheery light from it's windows, but the noise was definitely coming from there. Anna crept up, and peered in the window.

It was Aidan! Anna's heart skipped a beat. But wait – there was another figure. Two more, in fact. One was Mr. Sniktaw, the other, one of the ruddy faced ladies that's served breakfast. Should she chance it?

Anna ran to the front door and knocked. There was a pause, then the door opened a crack. A bright blue eye, set deep in a very red face, peered out. "Oo is it?"

"It's me, Anna Moon. I'm Aidan's friend. May I come in… please?"

The door shut, and for a moment, Anna thought she'd been shut out. But then there was the sound of a latch being unlocked, and the door opened. Anna stepped inside.

Aidan looked up at her, trying to grin. But it was more of a grimace. And Anna saw the marks on his back.

"Oh, Aidan!" She rushed to him. "What did she do?"

Mr. Sniktaw returned with another washcloth, and pressed it on the boys back. He looked up at Anna briefly, over the rims of his glasses. "Hello Miss Moon."

"Hello Mr. Sniktaw."

"It's Henry, please. I can't stand any association with this cruel business."

Anna was astonished. Was this the same Mr. Sniktaw, the loony? Aidan answered her question. 

"He's not mad, he just pretends to be so that he can help us out."

"Yes, and enough is enough. Agatha and Humphrey are planning something, and I won't let them…" he cut off as though he'd said too much. He looked back at Anna with a piercing gaze. "So you're Anna Moon?"

"Yes."

"You are an orphan?"

"Yes. Aren't we all here?" she turned, confused, to Aidan. 

"Actually, that's me Mum, in there," he beckoned with a painful jerk of the head.

Anna looked at him, shocked. "Then what are you doing here?"

He sighed. "Long story. My grandfather used to run this place. Henry here was his best friend. But he remarried, to that Agatha creature. And when he died, she took over, and brought in that flunky of hers, Mr. Rooksnort. Renamed the place. Used to be Quimbly and Sniktaw. She even took a new name for herself. Strange stuff goes on up there." He winced as Henry applied a new cloth to his back.

"But why don't you leave now? Leave and report her?"

Aidan's mother had entered the room. She strode over to Anna. "Dearie, we're bound by her." She pulled up a sleeve of her robe. "By this." She jabbed a finger at a hideous tattoo on her left forearm. Anna looked at it in amazement. 

"What is it?"

Aidan's mum sighed. "I couldn' tell you meself. She imprinted it on all o' us. If I told ye, you wouldn' believe me."

"Yes I would," Anna nodded eagerly.

The lady raised her eyebrows. "Magic."

"Mum!" Aidan interrupted. He turned to Anna. "She's the barmy one."

"Don't speak of your mother that way, boy," interjected Henry. Anna turned, hoping he'd say more, but he continued his work.

Aidan's mother continued. "It doesn' seem to work like it used to. It used to get real painful. But since 'e was two o' so, it stopped."

Henry Sniktaw spoke. "Anna, don't believe everything you hear. But don't disbelieve it either. Someday, you will understand this better. Soon, you will be on your way. But for now, lay low. Everything will come together in time." He sighed and glanced out the window. "It's getting light out. You'd better go."

Anna left the cottage, a million thought running through her mind.

That day was the longest Anna had ever had. Her eyes were drooping at noon, and by three, she was falling asleep over the signs she was supposed to be filling edges. When the bell rang for dinner, Anna thought she had never been more thankful in her entire life. She sat down at the bench, expecting her food. Instead, the cook stood up and delivered an announcement.

"The children who arrived in September will report to Ms. Morpheus in the dining room immediately." Anna glanced around the room worriedly. Heads began popping up, looking around. Her eyes met Roger's, but she looked away quickly. The children from Miss Marple's stood, and filed out of the room silently.

They were led, by the same gaunt butler, to the dining room. Ms. Morpheus sat at the head of the table. Her posture was as straight, and her face as composed as always, but Anna saw something in her flickering eyes. Could it be fear? "Sit." She swung a bejeweled hand across the room. The children sat. Anna had the feeling that this was not just a dinner party.

Ms. Morpheus rose to her imposing height, placing her slender white fingers on the table, as if to balance her thin frame. "You… children… were brought here from Miss Marple's Home for Abandoned Children," she began. "But Miss Marple was a fraud." There were gasps and whispers all around. Anna leaned in to the table, trying to hear better. "She collected you… rather special… youngsters to exploit you."

Roger stood up. "That's not true!" He was pale, and shaking, but there was a fire in his eyes that made Anna quiver. 

Ms. Morpheus looked at him down her long nose. "Silence, boy. You cannot possibly understand what you are involved in." She turned to face the rest of the room. "You will all be packing to leave tonight."

"What?" Anna jumped up now. "Where are we going?" 

Ms. Morpheus smiled rather cruelly. "Sit down, child. No need to worry. I found an especially nice place for you." Her voice rose again, as she addressed them all. "I am splitting you all apart, so it will be harder for this devious woman to find you and – "

She never finished the sentence. The door swung open, and there was Henry Sniktaw, wearing the strangest outfit. His long, deep purple robe swirled about him, and he held a stick of wood in his hand like a weapon. He spoke softly. 

"Agatha, release them now, and you won't be killed."

She laughed, a cold mirthless laugh. "Hello, Henry. How nice of you to join us!" She looked at him, amused. "Put that thing away. We have guests."

"Agatha, they should be told the truth."

"And what will that get me, a cell in Azkaban?"

Azkaban? Anna, who had studied the old atlas at Miss Marple's thoroughly, had never heard of such a place.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Agatha," he whispered.

"No, Henry, it doesn't." And with that she drew her own stick out of her pocket. "Avada Kedavra!"

Anna felt a rush of wind, a cold wind, full of many voices, fly by her head. Green light blinded her. She fell to the ground, trembling. So had many of the others. She turned her head, to see Mr. Sniktaw. He was crumpled in a heap on the floor. Anna turned her head back to Ms. Morpheus, mouth agape.

Ms. Morpheus merely brushed off her black dress, and sat back down. She shook a lazy hand at the form of Mr. Sniktaw, laying on the floor. "Take him away," she said simply to her butler.

Then she turned back to the children with a smile on her face. Anna cowered, half under the table like the rest. Ms. Morpheus turned the wand (for Anna knew that is what it must have been) on the huddling group. 

And with a slight smile, she whispered, "Obliviate." 

A/N ~ Oh, dear, have I gone too over-the-top too soon? I certainly wasn't planning all this! Anna tends to embellish and exaggerate, I can never tell what happened and what didn't. Thank you all you kind peoples who doth review! And thanks to my message board friends; yes I have gotten enough feedback to feel *inspired* to continue. I have twenty some chapters planned for this book, but I have the first four years (so far) mapped out in my head. So we'll see how it goes. Yes, CLS, you'll have to wait quite some time to see where this goes. Sorry! J


	5. The Horrible Household

The Horrid Household

Chapter V

Anna sat up, her head swimming. 

Where was she? What had happened? The room came in to a hazy sort of focus. Anna felt strange, but she couldn't place her finger on the exact sensation. Perhaps she still felt a bit dreamy, as if her twilight hours, full of hopes and fervent wishes, were carrying over into daylight. She yawned and stretched. The sun outside the freshly washed window was bright. The sky was a robins egg blue. Her name was Anna Moon. And she was an orphan, who attended Ms. Morpheus's boarding school. She shook her head. Everything was as it should be. She pushed the strange little nagging in the back of her brain away. Nothing could make her unhappy today. For today was the day she was finally getting a home, a family.

Ms. Morpheus had made the announcement last night. How could she have ever thought that kind lady so scary? She had even taken Anna aside afterward, and told her, with a glint in her eye, that she would be getting a very special family indeed.

Anna's plain yellow dress lay neatly folded at the foot of her bed, along with a pair of white socks. The girl's loafers were lined up neatly in a row, from smallest to largest. Anna pulled herself out of bed, a smile on her face. She got dressed silently, as to not disturb the two other sleeping girls. Sitting on the bed, cross-legged, she plaited her hair. It was getting longer, she noted. The ends of her auburn curls came down past her shoulders. 

She wondered if her new family would have sisters, or brothers. She wondered what sort of house they lived in. A large house would be wonderful, but Anna would be more than content with a comfy little cottage. With a small garden in back, she thought. And her new mother and father (for she would call them that) would be wonderful, kind, gentle-hearted people that would read to her every night. All sorts of books, but fairy tales especially. And they would give her beautiful dresses, for special occasions, of course, and she would get her first real pair of jeans, so that she could run around and climb the great trees in the large backyard without being afraid of ripping her nice clothes. And she would get a nightgown. A long, white nightgown with a pink ribbon around the neck. Anna sighed in perfect happiness, as she sat on her bed, putting her hair into pigtails, and thinking of the day ahead of her.

Soon, however, it was time to stop daydreaming. A knock came at the door. "Up an at 'em!" a ladies voice called from the hallway. Abby and Clarabelle sat up slowly, rubbing their eyes. Then, the reality of what today would bring dawned on them as well. The three girls chattered away happily as they got ready. Clarabelle flounced down on Anna's bed, to have her hair brushed as they talked. After Anna secured the blonde curls into two neat sections with blue ribbons, the happy group headed to the dining room for breakfast.

The rest of the children were already there, sitting around the table, talking animatedly about the parents they would be getting today. Several cooks came into the room, balancing trays of eggs, sausage and bacon, buttered toast, pots of tea. The sugar, milk and marmalade were already sitting of the table, along with several bouquets of fresh pink roses and white daisies. Anna took the crisp white cloth napkin, and folded it in her lap. Miss Morpheus was always so generous!

At this point, one of the maids came to the front of the room, clapping her hands to get everyone's attention. The talking subsided. "I am quite sorry to inform you that your benefactress will not be here to see you off this morning. Ms. Morpheus has unexpectedly been called away on business." There was an audible groan from the small group. Tears even came to Clarabelle's eyes. 

"We won't get to say goodbye," she wailed.

Anna handed her a slice of toast, with plenty of jam on it. "But think how happy you should be! You're getting a real family today! Ms. Morpheus wouldn't want you to be sad," she chided.

Clarabelle smiled a bit, and within seconds, was back to normal.

After breakfast, the children went to go stand out on the porch of the old manor house, to await the arrival of the parents. About 15 minutes later, the first car pulled up. Ella and Emma were brought over to a smiling lady wearing a funny long purple gown. She picked up one of the little twins, smiling as the girl laughed with glee. They waved goodbye from the windows of the car, which looked uncommonly spacious inside.

Over the next hour or so, Abby left with a tall man, and his wife, Thomas was picked up by a wealthy looking couple, Joseph and Nora were taken away by a pretty lady who'd arrived in a taxi, also wearing a funny sort of emerald dress. Anna looked about at the dwindling group. "Davy," she whispered, straighten your hair." Davy made a face at her, but attempted to smooth it down with a licked palm.

Charlotte and Sam were the next two to go, each to a kind looking couple. Everyone waved goodbye heartily, and hugged and kissed (in Charlotte's case, Sam cringed as Anna tried to plant a kiss on his cheek, so she settled for a hug). As they were pulling out around the drive, another car entered the estate. It drove slowly up the path, prolonging the agony for each and every child. Finally, it arrived at the front door, and a rather short lady with curly blonde hair, and a sweet smile, stepped out. She was wearing the same type of dress as the other two women, but in pale blue, and was carrying a baby in her left arm. Must be a new fashion, Anna thought. The maid asked the lady which child she had come for. The lady fished a scrap of paper out of her purse. "I'm here for Clarabelle."

How perfect! thought Anna. But at the same time, she felt quite sad. Clarabelle had a real mother now. She wouldn't need her anymore. Anna saw Clara shaking a bit out of the corner of her eye. She looked down at her, smiling. "Well, Clare, it looks like you get a chance to be the big sister now."

Clara hugged Anna. "I love you," she wailed into Anna's skirt. "Promise you won't forget me, ever?" She looked up at Anna with tear filled eyes. 

"Of course I won't forget you, silly," said Anna, quite sensibly. But as soon as Clarabelle had left with the pretty lady, Anna felt a tear slide down her own cheek. She hastily wiped it away.

Anna was becoming quite nervous. What if they didn't show up after all? Clarabelle waved goodbye to Anna from the car window as it pulled away. Anna tried to smile, and failed, but she did wave back.

There were just four children left now. Matthew and Davy sat quietly on the porch, playing a game of cards. They seemed rather subdued, as each knew they would be losing the other today. Another taxi pulled round the drive, and Anna's heart leapt as the man and woman who got out asked for 'Davy and Matthew'. The two boys looked at each other for a moment before twin grins spread across their faces. "All right!" cheered Davy. After Anna hugged both the little boys goodbye, they hopped into the backseat of the taxi. They waved all the way down the long drive. Anna and Roger couldn't help but wave back.

Now it was just the two of them. They waited in silence for a long while. Roger sat, playing with his tie. Anna merely stared at her hands, neatly crossed in her lap. The sound of tires on the gravel of the drive made them both look up at the approaching car, then at each other. Roger spoke.

"Well, either way, I guess it's goodbye, huh? Might as well say it now."

Anna nodded, not knowing quite what to say. She vaguely remembered that there had been a time when she and Roger didn't get along. But now – now he was a friend. He extended his hand for her to shake, but she threw her arms around him instead, taking him by surprise. He separated himself from her grasp, and they looked back at each other, rather embarrassed. 

The blue sedan pulled up to the door, windows tinted. Anna peered to try and see through the glass, excited for the first glance of what might be her new family. Slowly, the car rolled to a stop. For a moment, it sat there. Anna couldn't control herself any longer. She felt ready to burst. Then, the door swung open.

A very stout lady, with a large red purse on one arm, a small dog in the other, and a scowl on her face appeared. "Really, Alfred, you think after years of driving that you would be able to get closer to the curb!" Her scowl vanished as she turned to face Anna.

"Hello, my dear! You must be Anna!" The lady shifted the pug from one arm to the other, and circled Anna, gazing up and down at her. Anna felt rather nervous, as if she was being scoped out by a buzzard for an afternoon snack. "Well, well… yes, I see what Ms. Morpheus was talking about. Yes, you'll do fine." She grabbed one of Anna's arms. "Quite lean, but then the best workers usually are!" Anna opened her mouth to inquire what was meant by this statement but was cut short.

"Ah, yes, just sign here?" The maid presented her with the clipboard. She scribbled something absently, and added, "I am Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler, wife of Rupert Snydley-Pinkenweiler the third. Of course you will have heard of him." Anna was about to answer the negative, when she was cut off again. "Oh, come now, we haven't time to waste, no, wasted time is wasted money, into the car with you now…"

Anna was practically shoved into the backseat, and the door slammed promptly behind her. Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler got in, large end first. "Really, Alfred, you could turn the air down a decent temperature. It's so blasted hot." She fanned herself with a pudgy hand. Anna thought it was rather chilly, but she chose not to say anything about the heat. Instead she started – 

"Now that I'm to live with you, and you're to adopt me, may I call – "

"Adopt you?" she laughed, a high tittering laugh. "My dear, I believe you are mistaken." -Another chortle- "Oh, no, dear me… Mr. Snydley-Pinkenweiler and I need someone to look after the little ones, and since our last nanny left, we placed an advertisement in the times. The dear lady who runs the home you were at answered it. Seemed quite delighted, in fact. Why?" she raised an eyebrow. "You were led to believe differently?"

"Ah, no Ma'am." Anna looked down at her hands, and swallowed a lump in the back of her throat. Why had this gone so terribly wrong? Was there some mistake? But no, Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler had told her that Ms. Morpheus had recommended her especially to this family. Well, for Ms. Morpheus, at least, she must be strong. She gazed back at the porch of the house where she had had so many memories. Roger stood on the porch, one hand in his pocket, the other waving goodbye. He looked so small, and alone. The car turned the corner, and Roger disappeared from view.

It was one of the longest half-hours in all of Anna's life, silently wondering where this had gone wrong. She was not going to be adopted, she was merely going to serve as a maid to this woman. She stared out the window, watching as trees and cows and countryside turned into mailboxes, and houses, and lawns. The car pulled in the driveway of one of these neat houses, all white gingerbread Victorians. This particular house looked larger than most, with a little cupola at one end, and tall windows on the second floor. The car dropped Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler and Anna off at the front, and went around back to park in the garage.

Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler and Anna walked up the porch steps to the front door. It swung open, and Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler stepped in. Anna followed her, but stared at the butler. He was tall, gaunt and pale, looking like a specter from one of the more horrific fairytales she'd read. "Good morning Vlad," said Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler, cheerily. "I have a new nanny." Vlad merely nodded, and slunk off into another room.

Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler seemed not to notice this. Instead she opened her mouth, and screeched out, "children!" Anna winced, but stopped to listen more carefully to the rumbling sound that seemed to come from above. It was getting louder by the moment. Then, shooting down the staircase, came several of the rowdiest children Anna had ever laid eyes on. One of the girls wailed "Mother, he hit me," and pointed at her brother. 

"Did not!"

"Did to!"

"Did not!" 

"Did too!"

"Did no – "

"Children!" Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler smiled patiently. "Control yourselves. I have found a replacement for Miss Blaire.

The children all turned to Anna. The oldest two looked at each other, and frowned, and one of the younger two (who looked to be twins) burst out wailing loudly. The boy stomped his foot. "I want Miss Blaire back."

Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler looked at him with an expression that could freeze water. "That lady," she remarked sticking her nose into the air, "is not worthy of the honor of caring for our family. I couldn't help but fire her. After all, she was the one impertinent enough to get engaged!"

The eldest girl, as skinny as her brother was rotund, looked Anna up and down with apparent distaste. "She's hardly older than we are."

"Well," snapped Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler, reaching her limit. "Good help is hard to find now days, especially what comes so cheap. Anna will be capable of all Miss Blaire was. She has two legs, and two arms. She can run errands. You _do_ know how to care for babies, I presume?" she asked Anna aside.

"Er, well, ah… young children."

"Good. Rupert the fourth needs constant attention."

Rupert the fourth? Thought Anna incredulously, but she said not a word. Instead she concentrated her attention on the children.

The older boy and girl were almost Anna's age, in fact, the girl was about her height. She was tall, and rail thin, with long blonde hair pulled back tightly from her square shaped face. She wasn't pretty, Anna noted. In fact, she looked somewhat like a giraffe. 

The boy, on the other hand, was shorter, and rather stout. His hair was also straight and blonde, plastered close to his head. The two younger girls were identical, and looked just like miniature versions of their mother. All four children had the same mean scowl, and each one was directed at Anna.

Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler motioned her hand at the elder pair. "This is Alice (gesturing at the girl), and this is Charles. They are both six."

"No, we're not mum, we're seven and a third," glowered Alice.

Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler shook her hand dismissively, dropping the loving air for the moment. "Whatever. And these two darlings," picking it up again, "are Lucy and Maud."

"Er, excuse me Ma'am, but how am I to tell them apart?"

Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler looked at her, shocked. "But you must see, they look nothing alike!"

"Oh," was all that Anna could bear to replied. Lucy (or was it Maud?) stuck out her tongue at Anna behind her mother's back.

"How old _are_ you anyway?" retorted Alice.

"She's eleven," answered Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler. Anna saw no reason to tell her that she was actually only nine. Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler walked on. Anna followed her, and the children trailed behind.

"This is the kitchen. We already have a cook, so you won't need to be in here very often (except to watch after the children, of course. They always have too many sweets. Sometimes the cook is _far_ below competent). Upstairs is the nursery and the playroom, where you will spend most of you time. Here, follow me."

They processed up the grand oak staircase. Anna looked about, thinking that she actually liked this house very much – it was the inhabitants that she wasn't sure of. Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler opened a door at the top of the stairs. "In here is the playroom. Each door leads to the children's bedrooms." It was a nice room, bright and sunny, with lots of windows. The walls were a pale yellow, and the curtains were white, with yellow ribbons tied around them. Toy boxes and tables with tea sets were scattered about, along with carriages, dolls, doll houses and stuffed animals. Anna felt as if she had entered a wonderful toy store. She had never had any toys, but had never missed them, because she had such a vivid imagination. At least, not until now.

One by one, she was shown the children's rooms. They were all similar to the nursery, with large windows, but the girl's were pink rather than yellow, and Charles's was blue. The nursery, where baby Rupert IV was sleeping, was painted blue also, but with white clouds, and little angels hovering overhead. "You like it?" asked Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler. "I had an artist come all the way from Italy to paint it." That, thought Anna, explained the tastefulness and beauty of the rooms. Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler herself was wearing a very loud dress, with a gaudy red square print, and jewelry that must have been glass instead of gems – the rubies were much to large to be real. Her make-up was also gaudy, and her hair was bleached white-blonde, but the darker roots showed it's true color as mousy brown.

She led them back out into the hall. "That," she said pointed a bejeweled finger, "is my room. You are to go in there only to clean. Up there," pointing to the end of the hall, "is the staircase to the attic, where you will be staying." 

Anna eyes followed her finger to a flight of steep stairs. She squinted, sensing rather than seeing something in the darkness. Her eyes caught the gleam of two other eyes; deep, dark blue eyes, almost violet. She opened her mouth, and turned back to Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler, but when she turned back, the eyes were gone, and the door at the top of the stairs was slightly ajar. She shook her head, not sure if she'd only imagined the eyes, and followed Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler back down the stairs.

The rest of the day was spent listening to Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler going over the tiring schedule and rules for the household. She told Anna the days which clubs would meet at the house. On those days, she was to take the children to the nearby park, with the exception of Rupert the IV, as he was not yet old enough to be deemed offensive by the little old ladies of the Civil Society. Anna's head was swimming with important names, and dates, and who to or not to take phone messages from. She was very glad when it was announced that it was time for supper, and Anna was hurried out to the back porch with a sandwich and a glass of milk from the kitchen.

She sat there, drinking the last of her milk, watching the first fireflies twinkling in the twilight of the garden. It really was quite beautiful, she thought. If only all the Snydley-Pinkenweiler's would sleep all day like baby Rupert, she might like it here.

After finishing with the glass, she returned to the kitchen, washed it, set it back in the cupboard, and went out to the front hall. The Snydley-Pinkenweiler's were sitting in the parlor, watching the television, except for mousy Mr. Snydley-Pinkenweiler, who was reading the paper, and ignoring his wife's account of all that had gone on today. 

"Ah… there she is! Children, follow Anna. It's time for bed."

"But I don't want –" Charles was silenced by a fierce look from his mother. The children followed Anna up the staircase, and didn't give her much trouble at all as they changed for bed, brushed their teeth, and said goodnight.

"Don't you want a story before you go to sleep?" asked Anna.

Alice scowled. "Stories are for _babies_." She slammed the door of her room behind her.

Anna picked up the toys scattered about the room (Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler had informed her earlier that one of her duties was to clean up after the children). When she was done, she let out a large sigh, and headed off up the stairs to the attic.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. But when they did, she let out a tiny gasp and hopped backwards.

Sitting on one of the two beds in the tiny room was a girl, just about Anna's age. She was small and thin, with a very pale face. Her jet black hair grazed her shoulders, and a fringe of bangs dangled above her eyes. It was the eyes that caught Anna's attention, however. They were large and round, and their color was a deep indigo.

Anna sat on the metal framed bed, staring at the other girl for several minutes. Finally, her voice returned. "Hello," she managed to croak out.

"Hello," the pale girl whispered.

"Who are you?" Anna asked. "You are real, aren't you?"

Anna thought she saw a small smile flitter across the pale girl's face, but after it passed, she was sure she had only imagined it. "Oh, yes, I'm quite real. My name's Linnea Grey. And you are Anna Moon."

"So it was you that was watching from the top of the stairs."

"Yes, it was me."

"Why didn't you come out?"

Linnea suddenly grew very interested in the pattern of her sheets. "Ma'am wouldn't have approved."

"Is she really that awful?" Anna asked in a hushed tone.

"Oh yes!" Linnea Grey's eyes flashed. "At first she just seems a bit self-absorbed. But she's wicked, she really is." Linnea even seemed surprised at this sudden outburst.

"How long have you been here?" Anna asked.

Linnea thought for a moment. "I'm not quite sure. I keep a calendar now, but I didn't when I first arrived from the orphanage. I don't even know what day today is. Or what day is my birthday."

Anna reflected on this with horror. Of all the things she lacked, at least she had a few solid facts to stand upon. She knew her name, and her birthday. And Linnea didn't even have that! It was unthinkable.

"What happened to your parents?" Anna finally ventured to ask, dreading the answer.

Linnea's eyes returned to the sheet. "My father is dead. And my mother is in a special hospital. She's insane."

"I'm sorry," Anna managed to choke out. How horrible! But at the same time, how very glamorous. Linnea Grey was straight out of the stories Anna loved to read. Even her appearance was beautifully tragic. This was something that Anna, with all her freckles, and brilliant hair, could never hope for.

After a long silence, Linnea looked up at her. "I'm glad you've come," she whispered. "Now I'll have someone to talk to. Sometimes, I think I'll go crazy, just like my Mum, talking to myself all the time."

Anna smiled. "Do you have any books?"

"Books? Heavens, no! Ma'am thinks I'm too stupid to read. I can – at the orphanage we went to school, and I got pretty high marks, but I haven't gone in a long time – ever since I came here."

"How can she get away with it though? I always had classes at my orphanage too. I thought it was required for children to be schooled."

Linnea shrugged. "Mister 'has connections', as she's fond of saying. Besides, I doubt anyone knows I exist. Except for you, now." Linnea ventured a small smile.

Anna smiled back. She gazed about the room, her eyes resting on the window. This tiny room reminded her of a story she'd read. "Have you ever read 'A Little Princess?'" she inquired.

"No, never."

"Oh, you would love it! I'll tell it to you if you'd like."

Linnea nodded, eyes gleaming. The two girls sat up, one telling the story, and the other listening in rapture. Anna told Linnea all about the poor little girl, who's father was believed to have died in the war, and how she was forced to work by the evil headmistress of the school she had attended. When she got to the part where the 'Little Princess' decorates the attic room with her imagination, Linnea stopped her.

"Oh! I do that all the time."

Anna stopped. "Really? What do you imagine?"

"Well, it's like the nursery. But nicer. And not yellow. I hate yellow now… no, it's always lavender. With white furniture, and a canopy bed like the one Alice has. And an enormous wardrobe, filed with the most beautiful dresses in the prettiest colors!"

"Really?" How odd, Anna thought. She had always wanted to wear pants, and had nothing but dresses. Of course, they weren't as nice as the one's Linnea was describing, but still – what a funny girl!

"So what happened?" asked Linnea, bringing Anna back from her thoughts.

"Well, then…" Anna continued her story. At the end, they were both quite tired, and fell asleep dreaming of beautiful rooms, and dresses and ponies.

*****

In the morning, Anna awoke with a start. For a minute, she forgot where she was. But then Linnea rushed by, already dressed in her neat white blouse and her jumper. Anna sat up, and rubbed her eyes. "Good morning."

"Oh!" Linnea whirled around, hand on her chest. "You startled me, I thought you were still asleep. I'm so late," she wailed, hopping on one foot as she pulled on a long white sock.

"But it's hardly light yet."

"Mr. leaves at 6:00, and he expects his breakfast on time. Oh, he wouldn't do anything," she added, "except tell Ma'am, but she would be very upset. Where's my shoe? Where's my shoe?" Linnea ducked down under her bed, searching frantically. She retrieved the mary jane, and quickly buckled it. "Don't worry, the children don't have breakfast until 8:00, so you don't have to get up."

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" asked Anna, concerned.

"No, I manage," she replied, rushing out the door, and down the attic stairs.

Anna couldn't return to sleep after that outburst. Instead, she got out of bed, and went over to the wardrobe. Inside, were five more outfits like the one Linnea had been wearing. Neat black jumpers, and starched white blouses. Anna took one from the hanger, and put it on. It was a bit big on her, but not as large as it had seemed on Linnea. She sighed, rolling up the cuffs that came to her fingertips. She folded her yellow dress, and placed it on the top shelf. She decided to examine the rest of the room.

It was small, and dark, with a low ceiling. A single window looked out on a neatly trimmed lawn, with rows of hedges and neat flowers. They must have a gardener, Anna mused, because Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler didn't look like the type who would labor over rows of plants on a warm, sunny day. Anna turned back to the room. It was sparsely furnished, with two camp-style beds, the wardrobe, a nightstand, and a single chair. On the back of the door was a chart. Anna went to look at it more closely.

Saturday – Laundry

Sunday – Take the children to the park

Monday – Clean the downstairs (dust, polish, sweep, etc.)

Tuesday – Clean the upstairs (the same)

Wednesday – Snacks for the Bridge Club

Thursday – Grocery Shopping

Friday – Snacks for garden club every other week, 

and dinner party last week of each month

Every day – All meals to be made and served, breakfast for Mr. at 6:00, Ma'am at 7:00, children at 8:00. Lunch to be served promptly at noon. Dinner at 6:00 sharp, except every last Friday of the month, when the children eat at 5:00, and dinner is served at 8:00. Dogs to be fed at 12:00 and 6:00, taken to be groomed every Thursday. Children to have exercise and play from 8:00 to 12:00, studies from 1:00 to 4:00. Bedtime is 8:00 sharp.

Anna shook her head. How had Linnea been doing all of this? Anna rummaged in her bag, found a stubby bit of pencil, and wrote at the bottom – all to be shared by Linnea Grey and Anna Moon. Then she headed down the stairs to go and help her new friend.

A/N: Sorry this one took so long. I'm trying to get at least another three chapters in before summer break, when I'll be away from the internet until September. *Gasp! Sob!* This is where I actually start liking this story, though it hasn't even really begun yet! I promise to finish the first part over the summer, and post the entire story, with corrections, in the fall. Thank you all so much for the reviews, and your patience! ~ Lili J


	6. The Collection

The Collection

Chapter VI

"What would you like for breakfast this morning?" asked Linnea politely.

"Ham, bacon, sausage… uh, eggs…" replied Charles as Lucy and Maud both screeched "Panquakes!" Alice just gave her a nasty smile, and said quietly, "I'd like angel food cake and ice cream."

The other Snydley-Pinkenweiler children stared at her for a moment, then, the brilliance of her request dawning on them, began chanting, "ICE CREAM! ICE CREAM!"

"But your mother doesn't want you to have sweets this early in the morning," answered Linnea, rather primly. "Wouldn't you rather have – "

"I want ice cream and cake," said Alice, in a voice that was surprisingly dangerous for a girl of eight and a third.

"Just give it to her, " murmured Anna. "There's leftovers from Monday's dinner party in the freezer."

"What about Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler?" asked Linnea, with a note of desperation in her voice.

"I'll tell her it was my idea if Alice tattles – which I'm sure she will."

A ghost of a smile crossed Linnea's face.

"Alright," she said to Alice, clapping her hands together. "You will have cake!"

Anna helped Linnea by getting out bowls and spoons, while Linnea cut up the old cake, and found the vanilla ice cream in the freezer. She served out six dishes.

"I didn't say you could have any," pouted Alice, but she shut up when she was given her own bowl. As soon as the children were finished, Alice's nasty smile returned.

"I'm going to tell mother what you served us for breakfast."

Anna just smiled back. The little girl turned on her heel, and swooped out of the room. Anna laughed at the look on Linnea's face. "Cheers," she added lifting a spoon of melting ice cream and soggy cake in the air. "May as well enjoy it." Linnea couldn't help but laugh.

It had been a full year now since Anna had come to the Snydley-Pinkenweiler's. She and Linnea got up early every morning, and fixed breakfast together. They would do their chores, talking to each other all the while when Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler was away at bridge club, or garden club, or any of the other organizations she was a part of. At night, after eating leftovers from the family dinner in the library, they would put the Snydley-Pinkenweiler children to bed, and return to the attic room, now papered with pictures Linnea had drawn and stories that Anna had written. Luckily, Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler hardly ever came up there. When she did, they could hear her heavy footsteps on the stairs, and they would tear the papers down, and stuffed them under their mattresses The two girls would then stay up late, talking, and making plans of what they would do when they were old enough to leave the Snydley-Pinkenweiler's. Linnea loved to draw, and whenever the girls went out, they hoarded any paper they could find, saving it for the evenings when they could draw and write to their heart's content. Anna even managed to fish an old colored pencil set out of a trash can at the park, and she had presented it, wrapped in old newspaper, to Linnea for Christmas.

Surprisingly, the year had flown by. In a month, it would be Anna's birthday. Today was a Sunday, and Linnea and Anna were preparing the twins for their walk in the park. They helped them change into their matching dresses of frothy white lace, Maud's with a yellow sash, and Lucy's with a blue. On went the white stockings, the white patent-leather mary janes, the white gloves and bonnets. Clutching their matching white purses in their hands, the twins looked positively angelic. You would never know by looking at them what holy terrors they really were, mused Anna.

Out in the nursery, Alice and Charles waited. Alice tugged impatiently at the hem of her white dress, and Charles played with his clip-on bowtie. "Hurry up!" Alice wailed. The twins, Linnea and Anna filed out. Anna stepped to the door. "I'll take them downstairs," she said. "Can you get baby Rupert?" Baby Rupert could speak now. His vocabulary consisted of 'no', 'won't', 'bad', and 'can't'. Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler thought he was absolutely brilliant.

"He's out with the Ma'am," replied Linnea. "But I'll get the dogs."

Once all four Snydley-Pinkenweiler children, and the two Snydley-Pinkenweiler pugs were assembled out front, they began their walk down Primrose Avenue to the park. It was a sunny day, and Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler had left the girls some change to buy the children ice cream from the vendor who hung about the fountain. Anna's thoughts on the pleasant day were interrupted by Alice.

"I don't want to walk this stupid dog anymore. She makes my arms hurt."

Luckily, just as Anna opened her mouth, Charles spoke. "Give the leash to me then. I _like_ walking the dogs." Anna almost thanked him, but he continued, "Of course, you girls are too puny and weak to even hold a leash properly." This led to a loud argument that was finished by Alice grabbing the leash back, and snapping at her brother.

When they arrived at the park, a lady wearing long pink robes was selling balloons at the entrance. The children begged for their ice cream money then and there, and Linnea grudgingly gave it to them.

"It's okay," muttered Anna. "This way, we won't have to scrub chocolate out of their dresses again."

They stopped to rest at the fountain. Anna, Linnea, Charles and Alice sat down on one of the park benches, and watched the small twins play on the grass in the center of the walk. Anna and Linnea were deep in conversation by the time Alice's cry caught their attention.

"Maud! Get down from there!"

The twin with the yellow sash was balancing precariously on the edge of the fountain, giggling. Her twin, noting the sudden attention, shoved her in.

"Lucy, no!" Anna cried, but it was too late. Maud, clad in spotless white, fell into the murky green fountain.

Luckily, it was quite shallow, with only a foot or so of water, but the dress was ruined. Lucy didn't seem to mind though, as she clambered over the edge to join her twin.

"Lucy!" she shrieked, "Maud! Come back here at once!" But the twins were having far too much fun to heed Anna's call. One was splashing the other, so the other shoved the first one down. Anna tore across the path, and stepped in the fountain after them. She grabbed an arm of each twin. "Come on!" The twins laughed, and pulled Anna down into the water. Linnea hovered nervously about the edge, not sure whether or not she should or could help, and Charles and Alice just sat there laughing themselves silly.

Anna was wrestling with the twins under the spray of water sent off from the large stone swan that topped the fountain, all three girls soaking wet, when Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler just happened to round the corner. She had been at a meeting of the Civil Society, and invited several of the head women to come home with her for tea. All of the ladies gazed at the scene in the fountain, appalled. But their expressions of disapproval was nothing to that of Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler's. She was a furious red color, and when Alice went racing up to her, and shouted, "Mummy, Anna pushed the twins in the fountain!" she went completely violet. "Bad!" cried baby Rupert, from Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler's arms.

Anna closed her eyes, wishing harder than she had ever wished before that she could turn back time. A cool breeze swept up in her face. Anna didn't dare open her eyes, and face Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler. She would've rather died. The breeze grew stronger, whipping her hair around, and splashing water in her face. Anna felt the water of the fountain blow up, around her. She opened her eyes in amazement. A great funnel of water was consuming her, blocking Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler from view. She tried to cry out, but found that she couldn't. The water spun faster, faster, until finally…

Anna was deposited on the gravel path. "Oof!" 

"Anna, are you okay?" Linnea ran over to join her.

"Don't worry about me – go catch Maud!" The twin was perched on the edge of the fountain. Anna leapt to her feet, running after the other twin. Her knee felt like she had skinned it, but Anna didn't notice the pain, for just as she grabbed Lucy, Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler turned the corner of the path with the ladies from the Civil Society. Anna released her grasp on Lucy, but kept a tight hold of her hand.

Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler looked surprised. "Oh, hello children." Linnea came over as well, holding Maud's hand tightly. Alice and Charles smiled primly.

"Hullo mother."

Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler introduced the children, including Linnea and Anna, whom she said were 'friends of Alice's'. At this comment, Alice looked mutinous, and Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler remarked that 'perhaps they'd better hurry along'. The ladies set off, with comments of 'what pleasant children', and 'how sweet' trailing behind them.

Anna nursed her bloody knee with a bit of water from the fountain, sitting down at it's edge. Lucy came dangerously close to teetering in. Anna gave her an evil look. "Don't you dare even think about it." For once, the twin listened.

Linnea came over. "What's wrong Anna? One second you were sitting next to us, and the next, you were on the ground."

"You didn't see us in the fountain? Or see that giant wind…" her voice trailed off as she looked at her friend's perplexed face. "Oh, never mind."

They walked on, back toward Primrose Drive. "Are you certain you're okay, Anna?" asked Linnea once more. "You're acting a bit odd."

"Odd? No, not me. Just a bit bewildered," she added quietly, mopping at her knee, which had started to bleed again.

That night, after even Linnea had gone to sleep, Anna lay in bed awake, thinking. What on earth had happened today? Anna knew she had a vivid imagination, but certainly it wasn't _that_ vivid! No, the strange water-cyclone had certainly happened. But why hadn't the rest of the group remembered it? Why had Anna been taken back? Because she wished it? She'd never wished for something so hard ever before. But wishes alone didn't make things happen. No, something in the back of Anna's mind was nagging at her, a persistent whisper, telling her that something like this had happened to her before. But when? Anna screwed up her eyes, and tried to remember back, but anything before the day she came to live at the Snydley-Pinkenweiler's seemed a blur. She fell into an uneasy sleep.

She was falling, down, down farther still. But she didn't reach the bottom. Like Alice in the rabbit hole. Voices surrounded her, singing, eerily distorted by the spout of water swirling around her. Anna tried to decipher the words, but it was impossible, like trying to hear underwater. Around she whirled, around and around and around, until…

Anna sat up. She had been having the same dream she had had every night the past month. She assumed it had to do with what had happened in the park, but she was no closer to finding an answer than she had been the day it had happened. In the next bed, Linnea stirred. Anna stretched, placing her bare feet on the cool wooden floor, and walked over to the wardrobe. Despite the coolness of the floor, the rest of the room was stifling hot, as only an attic can be in mid-July. She stuck her face out the window, and looked over the peaceful garden below. The sun wasn't up yet, but the birds were singing. Anna sighed. Today she was 11. And she was the only one who knew at the moment, aside from Linnea - who didn't count, as she was still asleep.

It was a fairly normal day, a Thursday, the day that one of the girls was to go to the Grocery store. Linnea let Anna do this, even though it was her turn to stay at the house and watch the children. She also gave her all the lose change she had found around the house, that she kept in a small jar under her bed. Anna resolved she'd buy something for Linnea too. At the store, Bert the grocer greeted her with a "Good Morning!"

"Hey Bert, guess what?"

"I have no idea."

"Today's my birthday!"

"Really? Here then, this cakes on me."

"Oh, no, I couldn't," Anna flustered.

"Take it," grinned Bert. After much coaxing, she did. She also bought an assortment of candy bars with Linnea's money, for the two of them to share at their secret party tonight. 

Anna returned home with the groceries, and parked the blue bike by the garage. Lisa came out to help her with the bags, and Anna showed her the cake.

"It's perfect," Linnea whispered, squeezing her hand, and hiding the bag before Charles came out to investigate.

After dinner, the girls sat out on the porch, planning. They decided that once the children were all in bed, Anna would sit at the top of the stairs, and wait until the Snydley-Pinkenweiler's retired to bed. When she saw them coming, she would creep back up the stairs, and wake Linnea. Then, when everything was quiet below, the two girls would head downstairs, and out to the garden, where they would eat their cake, and have their silent party.

Everything went according to plan. The children were put to bed, and Linnea headed up the stairs to the attic with a wink. Anna crouched at the top of the stairs, watching and waiting.

She had been there quite some time, when the grandfather clock in the hall began to chime the hour. 1…2…3…4…5…6…7…8…9…10…11…

There was a sharp knock on the door. Anna jumped, startled. Who could it be at such a late hour? From her perch at the top of the stairs, Anna could see into the Parlor where Mr. Snydley-Pinkenweiler and Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler were sitting. Mr. Snydley-Pinkenweiler didn't glance up from his newspaper. The knock came again. Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler threw down her romance novel and the box of chocolates she had been curled up with on the couch, and screeched "_VLAD!"_

"Honestly, where is that man?" Vlad appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and glided to the door. He opened it into the darkness. There was a flash of lightening, illuminating his thin, pale face. From the darkness, a voice spoke.

"I've come to collect Miss Anna Moon."

Anna's heart stopped working for a moment. When it started again, it was beating faster than it ever had before. Anna listening, hoping, waiting.

"This vay, Madame." Vlad held the door open further. A tall lady wearing a long cloak stepped in to the hall. Her hands reached up and drew down her hood.

She was elderly, but not at all feeble. Her persona seemed to command an instant respect, perhaps because of the way she carried herself, perhaps for her stern look. She had grey hair, pulled back tightly in a bun, an angular face, and a long thin nose with silver rimmed spectacles perched on it's bridge. She swept past Vlad into the parlor. Anna strained her ear to hear what was going to be said, but found she didn't have to. The lady had a soft voice, but it was clear and firm, and each word carried straight to Anna as if by magic.

"Good evening, Mr. And Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gwendolyne Wittikins, and I have come on behalf of Jonathan and Madeline Moon."

Anna couldn't believe her ears. _Moon! _These people must be her relatives. Perhaps they would take her in!

Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler snorted and Mr. Snydley-Pinkenweiler hardly looked up from the Times. 

"Excuse me," said Gwendolyne Wittikins, raising an eyebrow. She pulled a thin piece of wood from out of her cloak, and flicked it lightly. Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler's book and Mr. Snydley-Pinkenweiler Times flew out of their hands. Anna gasped. The Snydley-Pinkenweiler's sat, mouths gaping, staring at Gwendolyne Wittikins in horror.

"What do you want here, by god," Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler finally managed to croak. "Tell us and leave."

"Oh, not so quickly," replied Ms. Wittikins, with a gleam in her eye. "First, you must understand a few things." She sat down in an arm chair. Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler looked as if she was about to faint, and mousy Mr. Snydley-Pinkenweiler was still paralyzed in fear. Ms. Wittikins shifted slightly and smiled.

"Before Jonathan and Madeline died, they put their daughter, Anna in my custody. After their deaths, I thought perhaps my home was not the safest place for Anna to grow up, and I put her in the care of a Miss Lillian Marple, my niece. In a bad hand of luck, she was moved to another orphanage, and then to you. Though you were, until today, her legal guardians, I have brought you several documents that will tell you that as of today, July 15th, she has been removed from your custody, and returned to mine. If you wish to dispute this claim, we shall do it in court." Anna noticed her fingering her wand (for she knew that that was the only thing it _could_ be) as she spoke, and saw the Snydley-Pinkenweiler's eyes grow wide. "But I really don't think that will be necessary."

"Take her," Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler gasped, like a fish out of water. "Take her and go."

Ms. Wittikins eyes moved to the stairs, right at Anna. "Anna, collect your things."

Anna jumped up, and ran upstairs. She flung open the attic door and ran to the wardrobe. She flung her clothes onto the bed, and ducked under it to grab her dusty old bag. As she was stuffing her shoes into it, Linnea sat up.

Linnea. How could she have forgotten her dearest friend? Guilt and agony hit Anna like a brick. "What are you doing Anna?" Linnea asked, wide eyed.

Anna stood upright. "I'm leaving, Linnea." At first, a terrible sadness and hurt flickered across Linnea's pale face. But then, she smiled brightly. "Oh, Anna," she cried, leaping up to hug her. "That's wonderful."

Anna returned Linnea's hug, and took a deep breath. "I'm asking if you can come with me." 

Linnea looked at her wide eyed. "Oh, Anna, don't, they might regret coming if you do. Don't throw this chance away for me." Anna started to speak, but Linnea cut her off, a determination in her voice Anna had never heard there before. "Anna, you've taught me to stand up to them, to not let them get to me. I can do it on my own now. Thank you so much, for teaching me. And for being my friend," She added quietly. "Happy birthday Anna."

Anna blinked back tears. She grasped Linnea's hand with one of her own, suitcase in the other. "I'll be back," she whispered. "I promise." She shoved the cake and candy from out under her bed, over to Linnea's. With that, she ran down the stairs, not daring to look back. 

Ms. Wittikins raised an eyebrow. "Are you ready, Anna?" Anna nodded miserably. Ms. Wittikins walked out the front door, and Anna followed her. Vlad closed it sharply behind her, an ugly leer on his pale face.

They had walked out to the curb before Anna realized that Ms. Wittikins had no car. This didn't seem to phase her however. Anna was bursting with a million questions, yet she couldn't bring herself to ask any of them. Ms. Wittikins turned to Anna, and looked at her seriously. 

"I'm sorry about your friend, Anna, but you did a wise thing. This was not the time. Perhaps someday." She turned away, and stuck out her wand. 

"I presume that you heard my name is Gwendolyne Wittikins," she said calmly. Right then a large purple bus came thundering out of no where. Anna jumped back from the curb, eyes wide. The door opened, and a rather bore looking conductor yawned out some a garbled phrase. 

"Nigh'bus, whar kinwetakeyooo…" he suddenly snapped to attention. "Good eve'nin Miss Wittikins. I hope yer well tunite."

Ms. Wittikins pressed some odd looking coins into the conductor's hand and swept into the bus. Anna, quite dazed, followed her. The bus was very large, even for a triple-decker, much larger than it looked from the outside. Ms. Wittikins took an armchair by a window. Anna sat in the one next to her. With a loud bang, the bus took off. Anna was plastered to the seat. But a moment later, Miss Wittikins started to speak, and Anna was far too interested in her words to notice the erratic behavior of this bus that seemed to travel hundreds of miles in a matter of seconds.

"I'm sure you have no idea what is going on, Anna. I'm sorry this was all so abrupt, but I wasn't allowed to pick you up until the day of your 11th birthday, as I believe you heard me tell your guardians. Furthermore, let me apologize for the unfortunate events which have happened to you since you left Miss Marple's."

"Who is Miss Marple?" Anna asked, confused.

For a second, Miss Wittikins frowned. Then, her face contorted into a grimace. She shook her head slightly, bringing a hand to her forehead. "Anna, I'm afraid you're going to have to try very hard to remember. The effects of a memory charm are reversible, but only if the recipient of the charm is willing to cooperate. Anna," Miss Wittikins looked her directly in the eye. "Before you lived at the Snydley-Pinkenweiler's, where did you live?"

"At Miss Morpheus's Home for Children," replied Anna, totally bewildered.

"And how long did you live there?"

"Oh… ages. I can't remember exactly."

"You can't remember any of it? You can't remember life before Miss Morpheus's? Before the work?"

"We didn't work…"

"Quite recent, I see," murmured Miss Wittikins, to herself. "Anna, do you remember any of your earlier childhood? No faces? No other home?"

Anna shook her head.

"Do you remember where you learned to read?"

Anna thought for a moment. Why, of course she could, that was a silly question! Her brow furrowed, and she closed her eyes as she tried to recall that exact moment when it had all clicked.

"I was sitting by the fire. It was a little story, about cats. I was four and a half. And someone was there – a lady – and she was helping me. But it wasn't Ms. Morpheus…" Her eyes opened. "It wasn't Miss Morpheus. Then who was it?" she asked Miss Wittikins.

"You have to answer that yourself Anna," she replied quietly.

Anna closed her eyes again. "She was younger than you. Younger than Ms. Morpheus. Thinner, younger and kinder than Mrs. Snydley-Pinkenweiler. She was warm – and gentle. And she was very patient… Wait! I can see her face. She had brown hair… brown eyes… a nice smile. But she seemed sad somehow. And her name was… was…" Anna scrunched up her brow in concentration. "It was Miss Marple!" She opened her eyes, with a shocked look. "How could I have forgotten Miss Marple? You just mentioned her back at the house, and I knew the name sounded familiar…" her voice trailed off, and the expression on her face rapidly changed as she remembered all the things that had been wiped from her memory. "Mr. Sniktaw!" she burst out. "What did she do to him?" Anna asked, her face very pale beneath her freckles.

"That," answered Miss Wittikins, "was a very unfortunate affair. We arrived a day too late. Henry had tipped us off, after all these years, but then the Ministry refused to let us take action immediately." She shook her head. "Such a shame. Anna, I'm very sorry, but Ms. Morpheus murdered Mr. Sniktaw."

Anna's bottom lip trembled. "But how could she? He was so kind… and all she had to do was point her wand…" she lapsed into silence. After quite some time, Miss Wittikins spoke again.

Anna, it will be hard for you, and I wish you could have known about our world years ago. Heavens, I wanted it! But it was too dangerous for you. No, it was better no one knew you were still alive. Anna, I have to tell you many things. Some of it won't be the easiest to hear, but you must listen to understand."

Anna nodded silently, and she continued. 

"I will start at the beginning, before you were even born. You must know by now about the existence of wizards and witches. I was informed that you loved reading, and you were quite often given books with magical characters in them. This was not at all a coincidence, in fact, I was the one who requested these books be given to you. I have watched you Anna, ever since you were born." She sighed, sounding quite old and sad. "I knew some day I would have to explain all this to you, but I didn't expect it to be so soon. In any case – there is a world full of us, Anna. I am, your parents were… and you are, a wizard."

Anna stared at her, wide eyed and speechless. 

"I'm sure you've seen signs of it by now, Anna. When you fell off the ladder at Miss Marple's Home, it was no accident that you were not hurt." Taking in the look on Anna's face, she smiled. "I am not psychic, Anna. It will all be explained." She went on.

"I spoke of your parents a minute ago. I knew them both, since they were very young as well. In fact, I taught them both at Hogwarts School. Their names, as you heard me say earlier, were Jonathan and Madeline. They were both wonderful people, and quite talented. And they loved you, very much. But at this time, there was a Dark Wizard gaining power. People were dying daily. Your parents were brave enough to try and help in the fight against him. And because of that, they lost their lives."

Anna was quiet, not knowing what to say. She couldn't remember her parents. She felt as though she should be sad, but she had known them to be dead all her life. She had spent plenty of nights, making up stories about their tragic demise; ranging from the normal, to the beautiful, with Romeo and Juliet style plots, in which princes and princesses and castles were involved. But never in her wildest dreams had she imagined anything this spectacular. No, she certainly wasn't sad. In fact, she felt a strange sense of pride welling up in her. Her parents were wizards, who gave their lives in a fight against evil! "Go on," she said, quite eagerly. 

Miss Wittikins looked taken aback, but continued. "Before their deaths, they made up papers, saying that if anything was to happen to the both of them, you were to come live with me. But by that point, the Dark Lord had discovered, through a spy, the names of those who were fighting against him. I knew that I was in danger, so I took you to my niece. Her name will be familiar to you – Miss Lillian Marple. The spy's name will also be familiar. It was Agatha Morpheus. For a long time, she had acted as a friend to our movement, and to your family. We didn't even learn that she had betrayed your parents until after the Dark Lord's downfall. She went into hiding, and has been avoiding the ministry ever since, under the pretense that she was a muggle, a Mrs. Agatha Quimbly. She was never married to that man, in fact she killed him, and modified the memories of all of his friends. Henry Sniktaw was able to avoid this, as he was also a wizard, and knew her true identity. Unfortunately, he informed us of her whereabouts too late. He may have been under an Imperius curse, for all we know." This last sentence was sighed, as if to herself. She lifted the glass the conductor had brought, and took a long drink.

"When we arrived at the Quimbly estate, you were gone. I was able to track your location, and watched these past few years, making plans to pick you up today, so that you could start your training as a true witch."

Anna pinched herself under her thin coat. She must be dreaming. It was all a wonderful dream. But no, that hurt. This was too wonderful to be real. She told Miss Wittikins this last thought, and the elderly lady chucked. 

"I assure you dear, it's all quite real. On September 1st, you will be getting on a train at King's Cross Station, that will take you to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You will study there for the next seven years, and during the summers, you will stay with me," she stated briskly.

Anna furrowed her brow once more. "What happened to Miss Marple?"

Miss Wittikins stared out the window, into the rain. "I'm sorry Anna, but I cannot answer that question now. Some day, I will tell you. But not tonight."

"Diagon Alley, next stop!" called the conductor.

"This is where we get off," Miss Wittikins informed Anna.

They got off the bus on a side street. Anna gazed up at the imposing buildings around her. "Where are we?" she asked.

"London," replied Miss Wittikins. "And we'll be staying here." She pointed a long, bony finger at a building that Anna had not noticed before, a tiny pub stuck between two large, modern stores. The sign over the door read 'The Leaky Cauldron."

They entered the pub. Anna stared around, fascinated. She had never been in a pub before. It was fairly late, and only a few customers were around. A few men were sitting at the bar, drinking amber colored liquid from large glass mugs. They were dressed in long robes, the same as Miss Wittikins. The one man was laughing loudly.

"…An' then Archie, d'you know what she did? She turned 'im into a blooming rooster! She says, well then, if I'm such a silly hen then you must be a stupid…" he was stopped mid-sentence, as the other wizard noted the arrival of Anna and Miss Wittikins. The wizard who had been speaking doffed his hat. "My apologies, Miss Wittikins. Didn' see you standing there." They both shuffled off to the corner, while the bartender turned to greet them.

He was an old man, older probably than Miss Wittikins, judging by the fact that he was bald and toothless. "Hello, Miss Wittikins. How may I help you t'night?" 

She smiled warmly. "Well, for starters Tom, could you get me a small gillywater, with a dash of scotch? And a butterbeer, for Anna here. Anna, this is Tom, Tom, Anna."

Tom grinned, toothlessly, and Anna couldn't help but smile back. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Anna."

"The same for me, I'm sure." Then, to Miss Wittikins, she whispered, "What's a butterbeer?" 

"You'll love it," she whispered back.

Tom brought the drinks, and Miss Wittikins sighed. "Thanks, Tom, I needed this. We'll also be needing two rooms for the night." She opened a purse at her side, and took out a handful of silver. He slid the keys across the counter.

"If you need anything, let me know."

Anna, meanwhile, was enjoying the butterbeer immensely. It was almost like a butterscotch candy she'd had once at Christmastide. But it was warmer, smoother, and with a strange tinge to it. Anna felt warmed from the inside out, a lovely feeling on a wet and rainy night.

Anna was tired, and very happy to be given the key to her room. She managed to unpack her things, and change into her pajamas before falling into bed.

"It has been quite a day," she yawned.

"It most certainly has," replied the mirror hanging on the wall.

Anna had quite a sleepless night.


	7. Diagon Alley

Diagon Alley

Chapter Seven

In the morning, Anna was awoken by beams of sunlight dancing across her face. She hadn't realized the night before that she had been given one of the rooms facing the street. Stretching, she got up and wandered over to the window. She pressed her nose to the glass, and stared down at the passing London crowd. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, smiling down at them. But no one seemed to notice the small red-headed figure watching them through the glass; in fact, no one seemed to even notice the tiny pub in which she stood.

Anna dressed, brushed her hair, and headed down the stairs. Miss Wittikins was already having her breakfast. Anna sat down at the small corner table, and greeted her with a, "good morning."

"Good morning," Miss Wittikins murmured, not taking her eyes away from the paper. Anna looked at the front. The Daily Prophet, read the scroll across the top. The picture underneath was moving. Anna looked at again, to make sure her eyes were working properly. She stretched out a hand, feeling the picture. It felt like plain newsprint to her. Miss Wittikins lowered the paper, looking at her with arched eyebrows.

"Er – sorry," Anna blushed.

Miss Wittikins returned her gaze to the paper, taking a sip of her tea. "Why don't you go order some breakfast Anna?"

Anna went over to the counter where Tom stood, polishing glasses. "G'mornin' Miss Moon. What would ye like for breakfast?"

"Good morning Tom. Um…" Anna thought for a moment, her eyes gazing up at the ceiling. "Do you have toast?"

"Yes, we do."

"With eggs?" she asked, hopefully.

Tom chuckled. "Sure thing Miss Moon. It'll be out in a moment."

Anna returned to her seat. Miss Wittikins had finished with the paper, and it was sitting folded on the table. "Do you mind if I look?" she asked.

"Go ahead," smiled Miss Wittikins. "The 'Prophet' is the best way to keep up to date in the wizarding world. Though, really…" she made a face, "some of the reporters these days… they don't have any news to report, so they create it. Pure fiction."

Anna picked up the paper, and scanned the headlines. "What's Quidditch?" she asked.

Miss Wittikins sighed. "It's a wizarding sport. Similar to football, on broomsticks."

"Oh." She kept on reading. For a long time, Anna was silent. She looked up again. "There's a Ministry of Magic?"

"Unfortunately," Miss Wittikins murmured, before taking another sip of tea. "Yes, we do have our own Ministry. Responsible for all the things a regular Ministry is, with the addition of trying to hide us from all of Muggle Britain."

"What's a Muggle?"

"A non-magical person," answered Miss Wittikins shortly.

There was another period of silence as the two sat, staring out the front window at the traffic going by. Anna felt like jumping up and waving, trying to get the people passing by to notice the tiny pub, but she restrained herself, and instead asked – 

"Does anyone ever call you anything aside from Miss Wittikins?"

Miss Wittikins glanced away, hiding a smile behind her tea cup. "Not really. Stella calls me Witt. I suppose she wouldn't mind if you wanted to too."

Anna was about to ask who Stella was when Miss Wittikins reached into her robes, and brought out a note. She handed it to Anna.

"Thought I'd give it to you in the morning, so you wouldn't stay up all night re-reading it like I did when I got mine."

Anna's eyes widened over the note. "You went to Hogwarts?"

Again., Witt chuckled. "Goodness, yes. For a much longer time than the ordinary bloke."

Anna grinned at this bit of slang from such a dignified old lady, and concentrated her attentions on the letter.

Hogwarts School

_of_ Witchcraft _and_ Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,_

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)_

Dear Miss Moon,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours Sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall, 

# Deputy Headmistress

Anna fished about in the envelope, and retrieved a list of supplies. Looking it over, she asked in wonder, "I get to buy all this?"

Witt answered in the affirmative.

"How will I pay for it?" she asked, brow crinkling.

"Leave that to me," smiled Witt. 

Anna was wondering where on earth you would find such a wide assortment of shops that would sell such marvelous things as the ones listed. She was quite surprised when, upon finishing her eggs and toast with marmalade, Miss Wittikins led her out into a small courtyard behind the shop. She pulled out her wand (Anna had been aching to see some real magic) and tapped one of the bricks in the wall lightly. "It's three up, and two across from the trash can. If you forget, just ask Tom." Anna nodded mutely as the brick wriggled it's way out of the wall. The bricks all around it vanished, leaving an entry way into the most interesting street Anna had ever seen in her life.

It was a twisty cobblestone road, lined by quaint little shops. The signs hanging outside read like 'Apothecary', and 'Quality Quidditch Supplies'. Anna would've stopped to gaze at the sight, and been there all day, but Witt took her by the hand, and let her down the street into one of the tiny shops. "We'll get your uniform first."

They entered 'Madam Malkin's'. A tiny bell hanging above the door rang magically as they entered, and a plump little witch met them at the door. "Hello Dearie, Hogwarts I presume?" She stopped and smiled as she recognized Miss Wittikins. "Why hello Gwendolyne, how are you?" Madam Malkin chatted on and Witt smiled politely and answered her questions. Madam Malkin led Anna back, still chatting on. 

"We'll also need a winter cloak, Moira, and a hat – make that two hats, and throw in three additional robes – just the normal. And could I trouble you for some dress robes as well?" Witt asked rather suddenly.

"Certainly!" replied Madam Malkin. "In what colors? A nice green would look quite pretty on you dear…"

"Anna?" asked Witt, "what color robes would you like?"

Anna thought for a moment, having, for the first time in her life, the opportunity to pick out her own clothes. "Blue," she answered decisively. "Dark blue."

"Lovely choice dear!" Madam Malkin pinned up the robe she'd slipped over Anna's head. A few moments later, Anna and Witt walked out of the store, arms full of wrapped up robes. Witt peered through her glasses at the list. "I suppose we'll get the cauldron and the such out of the way next."

At the cauldron makers shop, they bought not only the pewter cauldron asked for on the list, but a nice set of brass scales. Next door, at the Apothecary, they bought the crystal phials needed for Potions ("They'll last longer than the glass ones, just be careful not to break them too many times. They get quite weak after the third or fourth mending charm" added Miss Wittikins), along with an assortment of basic Potions ingredients. Anna was glad to leave the shop, with it's funny sulfuric odor. They stopped at a tanner's for a pair of dragon's hide gloves. Anna admired the dragon's hide handbags as well, but was aghast at the price. "Foolish luxury, and a good waste of dragon," commented Witt. "What's left now?"

"The books, and my wand," said Anna, unfolding the list once more. Under her other arm she carried the cauldron, filled with their purchases. Witt had bewitched it to be very light, and promised to show Anna the spell once she got her own wand.

Witt smiled. "I think we'll leave the wand for last, though I may regret it. It will be quite a chore to drag you away from Flourish and Blotts."

And indeed it was. They walked into the shop, one of the largest in Diagon Alley. It was a good thing that Witt had Anna's hand firmly in her grasp, for Anna was clearly paying no attention to where she was stepping. Her eyes were glued to the shelves and shelves of books, books of all colors and sizes. Witt let Anna explore as she tracked down a clerk to retrieve the text books. Once she had paid, she went in search of Anna. She found her, cheek in hand, deep into the story of a witch by the name of Lydia Trendille, and her romantic escapades and daring adventures in sixteenth century France. Witt was only able to drag Anna away from the store by buying the book, and promising her that she could return every day for the rest of their stay in Diagon Alley. "By then, you'll have read every book in the place."

"Oh, no," answered Anna, wide-eyed and quite serious. "I doubt I could read that many books in a life time!"

"Well," said Witt, returning to her no-nonsense way, "we have to go purchase your wand now, and that is far more important than Miss Trendille's gallivanting about."

Anna was quite excited about getting her wand, to tell the truth. They stopped in front of the unobtrusive store, just a tiny shop with a simple display. 'Ollivander's: Maker of Fine Wands Since 382 BC,' the sign read. Anna tried to comprehend how much time that was, but gave up as they entered the door.

Anna blinked, her eyes adjusting to the dim light in the store. It was a plain little shop, small and neat, but very dusty. A shiver ran up Anna's spine. She was sure she heard whispers coming from the very nooks and crannies. The air of the shop seemed to tingle with a certain something – a something Anna couldn't quite place a finger on. There was a movement from the back room. Anna turned in time to see an elderly man walking out, arms full of boxes. He set them on the counter as he noticed Miss Wittikins.

"Hello Gwendolyne. How may I help you this fine day?"

She smiled. "Good morning, Nicodemus. I'm here to find this child a suitable wand. Do you think you might have something for her?" A smile played on Witt's lips.

Mr. Ollivander peered over his glasses at Anna. "Well, well. I do say – what is your name, young lady?"

"I'm Anna Moon," she responded, trying not to let on how nervous she was.

Mr. Ollivander's eyes flashed back at Witt. "Jonathan's child." he murmured.

"Indeed."  
"I'm pleased to meet you Miss Moon." He brought out a tape measure. "Very interesting, I do say… I'll be quite interested to see what wand you choose – or rather, which wand chooses you. Wand hand?"

"Er – right?"

"Right, then, let's see…" he mused, scribbling something in his book. Anna noticed the tape measure had suspended itself in mid-air, hovering from the tip of her nose to her toes. She stared at it cross-eyed. The measure continued to take her measurements as he talked.

"Your father's wand was oak and unicorn hair, 11 and a half inches, quite sturdy. Your mother's on the other hand – willow and dragon heart-string, nine inches – quite tricky combination. I was especially proud of that one." He snapped his fingers at the tape, which promptly fell to the floor. "That will do."

He set an armful of the slender boxes on the floor next to the chair. Opening one of them, he drew out a wand. "Here," he said, "try this one. Beech and Dragon heart-string, nine and a half inches. Go on, give it a wave."

Anna had been standing there, looking rather puzzled at the slender piece of wood in her hand. When prompted, she swished it back and forth. Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of her hand immediately.

"Maple and phoenix feather, eleven inches." Anna swished this one about, and was promptly handed another.

"Poplar and unicorn hair, seven and a quarter. Holly and Unicorn hair, eight. Birch and dragon heart-string, ten and a half. Hickory and unicorn hair, nine and a third. Orange wood and phoenix feather, eight and a half. 

As Anna's fingers brushed against the end of the wand, she felt a small tingle, like a static shock. She grasped the wand tightly in her hand and waved it in a wide arc. Brilliant blue sparks danced from the tip. Anna knew this must be the one – she had know it from the tingle that had enveloped her hand, and then her body, as it had sparked. Miss Wittikins applauded, and Mr. Ollivander clapped his hands together. "Bravo, Miss Moon. An interesting combination, that one. I was starting to wonder if it would ever take to anyone, it's been sitting in the back for years. I just dug it out yesterday, quite glad I did…" he took the wand from Anna and placed it back in the box. Anna wanted to ask to hold her new wand, but she decided not to ask, as Mr. Ollivander handed her the box. Miss Wittikins opened her purse, and slid the gold across the counter. "I wish you well, Nicodemus."

Mr. Ollivander gave a slight bow. "The same to you, Gwendolyne."

They exited the store, not saying much. Anna wanted to take out her wand, at least to look at, but she didn't dare. What if she broke it? Miss Wittikins broke the silence. "Well. What would you say to some ice cream?"

"Oh, yes, I'd love some, thank you."

They stopped at Florean Fortescue's for an over-sized cone of strawberry, and a small cup of gelato. Sitting outside in the warm sun, Anna attempted to eat as quickly as she could to keep the ice cream from melting away. Witt, meanwhile, was scanning Anna's note. "Minerva McGonagall, well, well, well," she mused. "It's been quite some time since I've seen her. I'd heard she'd become Deputy Headmistress… you'll be having her for Transfiguration as well. She's fair, knows how to run a respectable classroom. You'll like her."

"What about the others?" Anna asked.

Witt closed her eyes, as if scrolling down a mental list of names. "Well, there's Flitwick, wonderful chap, he teaches Charms. Been around for ever. Binns, who has also been around forever, but is dead boring." Her eyes sparkled as she said this. "He teaches History. Sprout, she's sweet, but can be firm if she wants to – that's Herbology, I think you'll enjoy that. Potions is Snape – I won't comment on Snape, and bias you toward him in any way, but I think you'll form a firm opinion of him soon enough. Astronomy – I think a witch by the name of Sinistra teaches nowadays, but I don't know her personally. Then there's Defense Against the Dark Arts. I'm really not sure who teaches that anymore. Ever since James, I haven't kept up with the position."

"Witt?" she asked, desperately trying to keep the trail of strawberry ice cream from melting down her arm, "how come so many people seem to know you?"

She smiled, handing Anna a napkin. "I was a teacher at Hogwarts, for quite some time."

Anna straightened up. "What subject did you teach?"

Witt smiled again, a bit wickedly. "Potions."

Anna though for a few moments. "Do you think I'll like Hogwarts – I mean the classes?"

Witt sat back in her chair. "Yes, I do," she answered, looking rather serious. "You may find some of the courses quite challenging, but I think you like a good challenge, Anna."

Anna had nothing to say to this, so she finished her ice cream instead.

They returned to The Leaky Cauldron for an uneventful supper. The regular crowd was starting to filter in, and rather than talk, Anna listened to the witches and wizards around her, discussing everything from the rising price of class B tradable goods, to Quidditch scores, to the most recent bumblings of the Ministry. After dinner, Anna returned to her room, and emptied her cauldron. She spread each item out on her bed, examining it lovingly. She got to the box with her wand in it. Carefully, she lifted it out of the box. No sparks flew this time, but there was stillwarm tingle, a pleasant sensation, that assured Anna that it could be used for magic. Looking through her new Charms book, she attempted a spell at the beginning of the first chapter. "Lumos," she commanded. The wand tip emitted a glow that filled the room. "Nox." The light went out. "Lumos. Nox." This went on for quite some time, the smile on Anna's face growing broader each time it worked. Witt entered the room.

"Nox, indeed. That will do for now, Anna. I don't want you accidentally burning the place down. I just came in to say goodnight. You left this down at the table by the way." She handed her the book.

"Oh! Thank you." Anna had almost forgotten about her new story. She climbed into the armchair that sat in the corner of the room, and opened the book.

She read on about Lydia into the night. The morning light found Anna curled up in an armchair, fast asleep with the book lying open on her lap. Witt entered the room to check on her. The old lady smiled, set the book on the table, and covered Anna with a blanket from the bed. She hastily scribble a note, then left.

Several hours later, Anna awoke. She stretched, trying to figure out where the awful cramp in her neck had come from. She remembered her book, and threw off the covers, searching for it. She spotted it on the nightstand, her place marked with a note from Witt.

I have some business to take care of, will be back for dinner at six. You can go back to Flourish and Blotts if you like, but please stay in Diagon Alley. Your breakfast will be waiting for you downstairs, along with a little spending money.

- Witt

Anna marveled at the thought that she would want to be anywhere else. She changed into a pair of her new robes, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

After eating, she rushed out to the small courtyard, eager to try her new wand. "Three up, two across," she murmured. Or had it been two up and three across? She tried the later, and was amazed once more, as the wall melted away to reveal Diagon Alley.

She headed straight toward Flourish and Blotts, and spent most of the day in the shop, reading a pile of books she had picked out. The clerk, who had recognized her from the day before, was more than happy to help Anna select several titles she had never heard of before. She read in her own little corner, along the railing of the large double staircase, until the clock below chimed five-thirty. Amazed at how quickly the time had passed, Anna grabbed the book she was reading, and headed to the counter to pay for it. The clerk up front rang it up on the old cash register. *ding* "That'll be one galleon and seven sickles, Ma'am." Anna grinned, and fished the money out of her pocket. She had never been called Ma'am before.

As she was heading back toward The Leaky Cauldron, Anna was stopped by a strange noise. It sounded quite pathetic, like a muffled baby's cry. Searching for the source of the sound, she turned down a alleyway. All that was back there was a row of trash bins, and Anna turned to leave. The strange noise came yet again, closer this time. She whirled around, staring at the nearest bin. She stepped over to it, opened the lid, and peered inside.

Two round, golden eyes stared back up at her. They were set in the face of the most pathetic kitten Anna had ever seen. It was a tiny, scraggly thing, all covered in soot. Anna rolled up her sleeves, and reached into the bin, picking the kitten up. It stopped mewing as she held it eye level, and cocked it's head inquisitively at her, as if to say 'hello'.

"What were you doing in there, you poor thing?" Anna murmured, more to herself than the cat. She stroked it's mangy coat, the soot rubbing off on her hands, and all over her new robes. The kitten's fur was grey, she could see, and quite soft under all the dirt. She couldn't very well leave it here, half starved and shivering with fright. She would take it to Witt and see what she had to say about it.

Anna showed up at dinner a bit late. Witt raised her brows in a questioning way as Anna sat down at the table, the soot covered cat in her arms. "Where did you find that – thing?" she ventured to ask.

"Someone had put him in a trash bin," responded Anna, "and I couldn't leave him there Witt, I couldn't." There was a pause, then she asked, "May I keep him?"

"You'd rather have a cat than an owl?" Witt questioned.

"Oh, yes! This one at least."

"Very well then. You are allowed one pet at school, and I suppose she shall be yours."

"He."

"He, then. I suppose that Darius will be fine for the job if I need to contact you. What are you going to call that pitiful thing?" she asked, trying to stifle a chuckle as the kitten rubbed it's head against Anna's cheek, leaving a black smudge from mouth to ear.

Anna thought for a moment. "Greymalkin," she answered, "after Lydia's cat – you know, from the book I just read.

Witt nodded. "A fair enough name for a grey cat – if that's what he is beneath that coat of dirt. You'd better give him a bath, Anna, though he probably won't like it. There's a handy charm for keeping a cats claws in, you know…" They continued eating their dinner, talking of cats and books and simple charms all the while.

_ _


	8. The Journey to Hogwarts

The Journey to Hogwarts

Chapter VIII

Anna spent the remainder of her glorious holiday at The Leaky Cauldron. 

Part way into August, Witt had some business to attend to, so she left Anna on her own for an entire week. Each morning, she would go down and have some breakfast at the bar, while talking to old Tom. Then, he'd give her the pocket change that Witt had allotted for each day. Most of this was spent at Flourish and Blotts, though a healthy amount went toward ice cream, candies, and extra supplies for school as well.

Anna had discovered one shop that was nothing but stationary, pens and art supplies. She spent an entire afternoon looking at their inventory, from paper that would make your doodles take on their own life, to ink that would shimmer and magically change color. The photography equipment in the back was fabulous as well, and the man who ran the shop gave Anna a lesson in how to take and develop a wizarding photo. He let her keep the picture – one of her and Greymalkin – as a souvenir. She hung it above her bed in her small room, along with the growing collection of receipts and flyers she had kept from Diagon Alley.

The bookstore was naturally her favorite. The clerks there knew her by name now. Each morning she would come in – "Good morning Andy!" – and settle herself in her spot. She would read until lunch, and sometimes would come back afterwards to continue an especially wonderful story. With only two weeks left of vacation, the store was becoming more crowded daily, with family's in to buy books for the upcoming school year. Anna, when she was not too involved in her books too see these newcomers, would sit and watch them from her spot. Children of all sorts and all ages passed through. Several times Anna spotted girls that looked about her age, and she longed to go up and meet them, but they were always with a group of family or friends, and Anna discovered that when alone, she was quite shy. 

Miss Wittikins returned from her trip, looking slightly worn out. Anna inquired about her journey, but Witt abruptly changed the subject. Instead, Anna told her of all her adventures in Diagon Alley, and showed her the new purchases with enthusiasm.

"See – this one writes violet. But look – it changes to silver as you go along. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Quite."

Soon enough however, it was time for the best summer of Anna's short life to come to a close. On the morning of September 1st, Anna stood packed and ready out on the curb, her bag in one hand and Greymalkin in her free arm. Witt hailed them a Muggle taxi. "King's Cross please."

They arrived at the station, all hustle and bustle with workers, and children on the end of holiday. Anna would have usually enjoyed watching the people, but today, she was desperately trying to keep up with Miss Wittikins. She fought against the crowd, working their way up the station. 

Anna's suitcase, as small as it was, was becoming quite heavy from all the things magically compacted inside. They passed platforms 5 and 6. People kept glancing at Miss Wittikins with odd expressions on their faces. Anna's stomach began to make sounds, but she wasn't hungry. In fact, she felt quite the opposite. 7… 8… they passed a girl with a cage under her arm. Inside was a sleeping owl. Anna tried not to stare. 9…10…but where was 9 ¾? Anna looked at Miss Wittikins, beginning to panic, as they stopped by a large barrier.

Greymalkin mewed pitifully. Anna had been holding him in her left arm for the past half hour. A guard looked over at the noise. "Miss, I'm afraid all animals must be in carriers on the trains."

Miss Wittikins raised an eyebrow and gave him one of her superior smiles. "Not on our train." The guard paused, then nodded (looking a bit afraid and foolish, Anna noted) and moved on quickly.

"Where is 9 ¾?" Anna whispered, desperately eyeing the large clock over the arrivals board. Miss Wittikins had taken her to the right station, hadn't she? Perhaps they'd changed it since her days as a student. Anna set down her suitcase and reached into her dress pocket for the ticket. Miss Wittikins gently grabbed her hand, and her suitcase..

"Lean against this post. Carefully…Now!" She yanked Anna into the barrier.

But instead of feeling the force of a solid object, they kept moving. Anna gasped, and stuck a leg out to keep herself from falling. After regaining her balance, she lifted her head to the scene around her. A bright red engine was sitting on the track, steam pouring from it's stack. The platform was crammed with people, crying mothers and proud fathers, clad in multi-colored robes. Small children ran about, past older ones with trunks and bags of all shapes and sizes. Greymalkin cowered as an enormous owl flapped it's wings in a cage nearby. Lot's of people had owls, Anna noted, and cats too – of every color. A large, square girl holding a black cat crossed their path. A round-faced boy chased after his leaping toad, running right between Anna and Miss Wittikins. Anna surveyed the scene in awe. She looked up to find Miss Wittikins smiling down at her. 

"You'd better go find a seat. They fill up fast."

They walked down to the end of the train together. They stopped at the third compartment from the end. Anna hoisted up her suitcase. Then she turned back to Miss Wittikins, gulping down a knot in her throat that felt remarkably like sadness. 

"Well?" asked Miss Wittikins. Anna threw her arms around her, taking the old lady by surprise. But then, Anna felt the woman hug back, squeezing her close.

"Thank you," Anna mumbled into her deep blue robes. Witt smelled wonderful, she noted – like peppermint tea and evergreens and snow. She suddenly didn't want to leave her. 

Miss Wittikins released her gently. "You'll have a wonderful time at Hogwarts, dear."

Anna grinned up at her, then turned quickly and boarded the train. As it started to move, Anna rushed into the nearest compartment and opened the window. Holding onto her hat very carefully, she stuck her head and free arm out the window. She could see Miss Wittikins on the platform, dabbing at her eyes. Anna began waving enthusiastically. Miss Wittikins waved back, just once, then watched the train go, until she was a small speck in the distance. The train rounded the corner, and she was gone.

Anna pulled her upper body back into the train and sat down in the seat nearest the window. There were footsteps in the hallway, and someone slid the door of the compartment open. A short girl with an upturned nose walked in, followed by the bulky girl with the black cat that Anna had seen in the station. Greymalkin hissed, and all his fur stood on end. The girl with the upturned nose stared at him nastily. "Has it had all it's shots?"

Anna laughed. "I'm sorry, Greymalkin hasn't been properly socialized yet." She turned to the kitten crouched in the corner. "Malkie…" she cooed, attempting to coax him back to her lap. He just glared at her.

The two girls sat down. "I'm Anna, Anna Moon."

"I'm Pansy Parkinson, and this is Millicent Bulstrode," said the pug nosed girl shortly. Millicent just grunted. "Do you know if you'll be in Slytherin?" Pansy inquired.

"Pardon?" Anna asked.

"Slytherin," said Pansy, exasperated. "Are your parents Muggles?" She said the last word as if it were a curse.

"My parents," retorted Anna stiffly, "are dead."

"Oh," said Pansy, eyeing her up and down. "So that explains it. Did you live in an orphanage?" Anna self-consciously smoothed her faded dress.

"I did when I was little. But for the past four years, I've worked for a family by the name of –"

"Oh, I see, you're hired help," interrupted Pansy, a smirk on her face. Anna started to protest, but Pansy cut her off again.

"Well, anyway, I want to be in Slytherin. The Malfoy's are all in Slytherin."

"Who –" Anna began, but Pansy cut her off once more.

"Draco Malfoy. Honestly," she rolled her eyes, "the types they let in these days. Millicent, don't you think Draco's a looker?" Millicent grunted. Pansy sighed, and stared out the window dreamily, strongly reminding Anna of the way the Snydley-Pinkenweiler pugs used to look right before they were served dinner.

Anna began to worry. How could Miss Wittikins think she could ever like Hogwarts? Was everyone like this there? The rumblings in her stomach turned ominous. She wondered, if she wished hard enough, could she make herself go back to King's Cross? Then what would she do? Live with Miss Wittikins? No, she would be too disappointed in her. She could go find Linnea. And then what would they do? Live on the streets of London together? Go back to another orphanage? The sky outside was turning darker. Anna hugged Greymalkin close, and squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Food Dears?" asked the lady (no, witch, Anna corrected herself) standing outside the door. Millicent jumped up with a motion surprising for her size, and was quickly followed by Pansy. They returned with loads of strange candy, and proceeded to eat through it voraciously. Anna's stomach rumbled again. As she watched the two girls noisily consuming the sweets, she curled up in a miserable ball in her corner, and tried to fall asleep.

She was walking through the same garden, her hand running lightly over the roses. She could hear the voice singing, but was in no hurry to reach it's owner. Instead, she ambled down off a little path, her hand skimming over the flowers. The voice echoed through the trees gently, like a lullaby. Then – the voice was abruptly cut silent.

She awoke with a start. It took Anna a moment to realize where she was. Pansy had just closed a large, black trunk in the middle of the floor. Anna supposed the noise had surprised her out of slumber. The train seemed to be slowing down. Pansy and Millicent had both changed into their long black robes. Pansy glanced up. "You'd better change. We'll be arriving in ten minutes, and you don't want to look like you do now."

Anna mumbled a sort of thanks, and took her suitcase and her cat out into the hall. She headed toward the back, in search of the lavatory. A girl with bushy brown hair rushed past in the opposite direction. Anna stopped at the marked door at the end of the corridor, and pushed it open. 

It was quite dim inside. The room was larger than Anna had thought a train's bathroom would be, but then again, she had never been on a train before. Candles hung inside red glass globes, illuminating the brown papered walls. A cold draft blew through. Anna shivered, pulling her robes on over her head.

Out in the hallway, she passed the bushy-haired girl again, heading in the opposite direction. Anna supposed it would be alright if she stayed in the hall. The conductor's voice resonated down the hall. "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately. Anna looked down at Greymalkin. Did these people consider him luggage too? Just then, the candy lady passed by. "I'll take your cat for you dear. Everything will be brought to your room shortly, while you're in the Sorting." She gave Anna a warm smile. Anna handed over Greymalkin, reluctantly. She watched the lady continue on down the hall, and a strange emptiness fell over her.

The train was going slow, slower… it had stopped. People began filling the corridor. Anna followed the crowd out onto the platform. She was glad to have her long black robes on over her thin cotton dress. They must be a good distance north, judging by the time traveled, perhaps in Scotland. It was too dark to see much, but a strong voice boomed out over the babble of the students.

"Fir's years! Fir's years over here! All right there, Harry?" the voice cried. Anna looked up where a head should be and saw a lantern. And above that was a face with a wild dark beard; the face of the biggest person Anna had ever seen. He towered over even the tallest, oldest students. "C'mon, follow me – any more fir's years? Mind yer step, now! Fir's years, follow me!"

After the initial shock of seeing someone so large, he seemed quite friendly, Anna decided. She joined the group at the tail end.

They traveled down the steep, narrow path. The tall black boy in front of Anna tripped on a hidden tree root, but there was no other sound from the first years. The giant called over his shoulder.

"You'll get yet fir's sight o' Hogwarts in a sec, jus' round this bend here." The people in the front of the line gasped. Anna forgot about her loneliness, and pushed impatiently toward the turn.

"Ohhh…" she breathed.

There, on top of a high cliff, was the castle of her dreams. It looked just like the castles in the storybooks she used to read. Below lay a dark lake, reflecting the starry sky above. The castle itself was tall and majestic, with turrets and towers worthy of the best fairy-tale. The windows sparkled with warmth and light. It was the most beautiful sight Anna had ever beheld.

"No more'n four to a boat!" shouted the giant. He gestured toward a fleet of small boats at the edge of the lake. Not wanting to take her eyes off the castle, Anna followed the boy in front of her into a boat. A pink faced girl with blonde pigtails followed her. They too remained silent in awe.

"Everyone in? Right then - forward!" called the giant, who was up front in a boat all by himself.

The boats magically glided across the surface of the water like dark swans in the moonlight. Anna looked around. People were still staring at the castle in awe, although they were almost to the cliff. Now what, Anna wondered. She was gripped by a sudden fear that they would have to swim. Anna had never had a lesson in her life. 

As if to calm her fears, the giant shouted, "Heads down!" The first of the boats vanished through a thick green curtain of ivy on the cliff side, as their occupants ducked their heads. Anna and the boy and girl did the same. Sitting up, she saw they were in some sort of underground river. Anna wondered if they were now directly below the castle. Soon the boats bumped against the sandy shore of the cave. Everyone clambered out, looking expectant. "Now what?" whispered the pigtailed girl. The tall boy shrugged. The giant, who had been checking the boats, discovered the toad that Anna had seen hopping away form the round faced boy in the station. "Trevor!" the boy cried blissfully. Anna blinked. The station, and Miss Wittikins, now seemed so long ago, and far away.

The giant led them up a passageway, his bobbing lantern casting a mysterious light on the slimy walls. Finally, they reached the other side, pouring out onto the green grass. Anna looked up. There was the castle, looming large in front of them. The giant led them up the steps to the huge oak doors.

"Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?" He raised his enormous fist, and knocked three times on the castle door, causing it to shake.

The door opened instantly. Anna's first thought was of magic. But then she saw the tall witch with square spectacles. Her dark hair was drawn tightly back in a bun, and she wore emerald green robes. Anna was reminded strongly of Miss Wittikins.

"The fir's years Professor McGonagall," said the giant.

"Thank you Hagrid. I will take them from here.

Hagrid turned to go. The rest of the small crowd entered the hall. It was gigantic. Anna looked up, but the ceiling was out of sight. The walls were rough stone, and the area was lit with burning torches. From the right came the murmur of voices. Anna wondered how the rest of the school had arrived. A great marble staircase led up into the darkness. Anna wondered how high it went. Her head was popping with hundreds of questions, but she felt it would be disrespectful to ask at the moment. Professor McGonagall led the group into a small, empty room to the left. Everybody crowded together in a small huddle in the center of the floor. Professor McGonagall spoke.

"Welcome to Hogwarts. The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Each house has it's own noble history, and has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking will lose your house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you. Please wait quietly."

She turned and left. A rash of nervous whispering broke out. "How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Anna heard a dark haired, bespectacled boy ask. A tall, red-headed boy answered in a whisper.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

Anna blanched. A test? She didn't know any magic, at least not yet. Was she the only person here that didn't have living wizard parents? Her stomach rumbled ominously. She glanced about, and was glad to see that everyone else looked quite scared as well.

Right at that tense moment, something happened that made everyone gasp. A group of ghosts had glided through the wall, into the room. They were a pearly transparent shade, like a bottle that all of the milk had been poured out of. The ghosts didn't seem to notice the students, in fact, they were absorbed in an argument.

"Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance - "

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not even really a ghost – I say, what are you all doing here?"

One of the ghosts, one dressed in clothes that Anna would've expected with an old castle like this, had realized the room was full of new students. Nobody answered him.

"New students!" said the Friar, smiling around the room. "About to be sorted, I suppose?"

A few of the students nodded.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the friar. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now. The Sorting ceremony's about to start." Professor McGonagall had returned. "Now form a line and follow me," she commanded. Anna fell into line. The first years crossed the entrance hall, and passed through the double doors into the Great Hall.

Anna had never in her wildest dreams thought the inside of a castle could look so splendid. There were four long tables side by side, and above each table, floating in mid-air, were rows and rows of candles. Above the candles, the roof faded away, showing the starry sky above. Returning to earth, Anna noted the hundreds of faces, with their eyes all trained on the line of first years. 

Professor McGonagall walked down the line of the first years and silently placed a four legged stool in front of the head table, where the adults were sitting. On top of the stool, she set a battered old wizard's hat that was falling apart at the seams. Anna would've hated to see the hat's owner, if the poor hat was so beaten up. What were they supposed to do now? Anna glanced down the line, to see everyone's eyes riveted on the hat. She did the same. Then, to her astonishment, it moved. A rip at it's brim opened like a mouth, and the hat began to sing:

_"Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

# I'll eat myself if you can find

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

# There's nothing hidden in your head

_The Sorting Hat can't see, _

_So try me on and I will tell you _

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart._

_Their daring, nerve and chivalry _

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true _

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning, _

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends. _

_So put me on! Don't be afraid_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

With this the entire hall applauded. The hat bowed to each table, from right to left, and then resumed it's stationary state. A whisper of simultaneous relief and terror swept down the line of first years. So that was all they had to do, try it on… Anna felt much better. Then her stomach sunk again. What if she was placed in Slytherin with Pansy and Millicent? She'd rather die! Anna watched closely as Professor McGonagall stepped out with a long piece of parchment and began to speak.

"When I call your name you will step forward to be sorted. Abbot, Hannah!"

The girl who had sat in the boat with Anna rushed over to the stool. She plopped down on the seat, and lowered the hat onto her head. It sank down well past her eyes. A moment later the hat shouted out – "HUFFLEPUFF!"

While Bones, Susan was also put in Hufflepuff, Brocklehurst, Mandy was sorted into Ravenclaw, and Brown, Lavender went to Gryffindor. Millicent Bulstrode was put into Slytherin after a long pause. Any house but Slytherin, Anna thought. All the rest of the girls looked pleasant enough. 

Fawcett, Ophelia, a tall, willowy blonde, went to Ravenclaw as well. Finch-Fletchly, Justin went to Hufflepuff, and Finnigan, Seamus and Granger, Hermione went to Gryffindor. The last girl was the one she had seen rushing up and down the hall on the train. Maybe Anna would go to Gryffindor, she thought hopefully. The hat took it's time putting Longbottom, Neville into Gryffindor. Anna recognized him as the boy that had lost his toad. 

Now, the hat started on the M's, starting with MacDougal, Morag. Malfoy, Draco, a pale boy with a sneer on his face was put in Slytherin. Anna thought that he looked very well suited for Pansy Parkinson, but her thoughts were interrupted as Professor McGonagall called out her name. She jumped, a bit startled, and quite nervous.

Although the distance between Anna and the hat was really only ten feet or so, to Anna it felt as if it were miles away. Her heart leapt wildly, and her stomach did somersaults as she walked up to the stool. She picked up the hat with trembling hands, and, sitting down on the stool, set it upon her head. It slid down over her eyes blocking out the Great Hall, with the hundreds of ghostly faces turned toward the stool where Anna sat. Anna stared into the blackness for a moment. Then a small voice, almost as if it were her conscience, whispered in her ear.

"Hello there," said the voice. "Hmm… where shall I put you? Kind… gentle… loyal… oh, I see you like to read as well… hmm… you show signs of bravery… so where will you go?" 

Anna's first thoughts were of the horrible time she had had on the train. _Anywhere but Slytherin_ she thought, concentrating hard. The hat let out a small laugh that surprised her. 

"Slytherin, oh dear me no, I wouldn't dream of putting you there!" 

Anna sat for a moment, thinking hard, as if to show the hat all that was in her mind to help it choose. Then, she had a sudden flash of inspiration. "Put me in my mother's house," she whispered. 

"Ravenclaw?" the hat questioned. "Are you certain, you have many qualities of both…" the small voice trailed off. "No, you will make an excellent "RAVENCLAW!" The hat shouted out the last word, leaving Anna's ears ringing. Very relieved, Anna hopped up, placed the hat back on the stool, and headed for the table on her left.

As Anna started to sit down, a familiar voice called out her name. 

"Anna!"__

_"Roger?!" _

"Anna, I could've sworn that was you when you came in - and then McGonagall called your name. Wow, Anna, it's really you! Here, you can sit here…" Anna sat down, dazed. It _was_ Roger. She had never expected, not in a million years to see someone from the orphanage here. And especially not Roger, although now that she thought about it, he had told her that funny story, so long ago… Her confused thoughts rolled through her head as she listened to him talk. 

…and after the shop, I was adopted by the Davies, and then I got the letter – what have you been up to?"

"Oh, not much…" she replied faintly, not wanting to think about the Snydley-Pinkenweiler's at the moment. "I was a nanny for awhile– I can't believe you're here!" Right then an excited whisper ran through the room. Roger looked up, peering over the heads of the crowd. He looked at the Asian girl sitting beside them questioningly.

"It's Harry Potter!" she whispered, as her pretty eyes widened.

"Who?" asked Anna.

"Harry- oh that's right, you wouldn't know. I'll explain later," he replied, with an impatient wave of the hand as he craned his neck to see. The hat shouted out "GRYFFINDOR!" Anna was disappointed to see that all the whispers concerned this thin boy with messy dark hair and glasses, as the said Harry Potter took his place at the Gryffindor table.

Roger shook his head. "Too bad," he said. "Ravenclaw needs a new seeker, and since Cho can't play with her arm this year," Roger glanced at the Asian girl, who smiled apologetically. "Harry's father was a great Quidditch player, but who knows, maybe it's not hereditary." Roger sighed. Quidditch? That was the wizard sport, right? Anna's head spun as she tried to remember the Daily Prophet headlines. She turned back to the sorting in time to see Thomas, Dean become a Gryffindor. A pale, thin girl with dark bobbed hair replaced him on the stool. Anna's breath caught in her chest; for Turpin, Lisa strongly resembled a certain Linnea Gray that Anna had left behind at the Snydley-Pinkenweiler's. **"**RAVENCLAW!**"** the hat cried out. 

"Hey, Roger, I think I'm going to go sit with the other first years." Roger just grinned and nodded, as he was now deep in a conversation about the national "Quidditch" team with the boy sitting across from them. Anna stood up and slowly walked over to the place where Brocklehurst, Mandy; Fawcett, Ophelia; and a dark skinned girl with beautiful long hair were sitting. "Mind if I sit?" she asked. Brocklehurst, Mandy nodded and smiled.

"Already made a friend?" she questioned, jerking her head toward Roger.

"Oh, no, that's just Roger" Anna responded, "I know him from a long time ago." Mandy started to ask another question, but at that moment Turpin, Lisa joined them. 

"Oh," said Anna. "I was hoping you'd be in my house," said Anna breathlessly, the moment she sat down. "You look just like my very best friend."

"I'm glad," responded Lisa Turpin with a soft laugh. "would you mind if I was your friend as well, all of you?" she asked, looking about at the four other first year girls.

Mandy grinned. "I was hoping we'd get more girls. We're going to have fun, I just know it," she added, a mischievous glint in her eye.

At the high table a man with a long crooked nose and a white flowing beard stood up. He looked just as Anna thought a wizard should look. _Merlin_, she thought. Then her common sense kicked in, and she realized he must be the headmaster, Witt's friend – the famous Dumbledore. The wizard opened his arms wide and smiled at the room of people in front of him.

"Welcome. Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!" 

"Thank you!"

He sat back down in his chair, and the room burst into applause and cheers. 

"That's Dumbledore for you!" said Mandy, giggling. 

As Mandy spoke, the empty plates were suddenly filled. Anna let out a little gasp of delight, and beside her she felt Lisa jump up off the bench. At this Mandy and the dark girl began to laugh. Ophelia Fawcett said nothing, but smiled sympathetically as she helped herself to lamp chops, peas and potatoes. Mandy began piling her plate, and the dark girl added carrots and Yorkshire pudding carefully to the side. Anna's stomach rumbled as she realized how hungry she actually was. She piled her plate high with everything, and devoured it quickly. The bowls were still full, so she helped herself to seconds. It was more food than she'd ever seen in her entire life, more even than the Snydley-Pinkenweiler's fancy dinner parties. 

The others were finishing their food and beginning to talk. Mandy's parents were both wizards, as were Padma's, the dark haired girl. In fact, Padma had a twin sister who had just been sorted into Gryffindor.

"I'm a little disappointed," Padma admitted. "But at the same time, it'll give us a chance to get away from one another. I'm getting a bit tired of being known as one of the twins. It happens that way…" she said wistfully. "How about you 'Phelia?" 

Ophelia answered to this name, so Anna assumed the two girls knew each other already. "Actually I was expecting to get into Ravenclaw," she said with a shrug. "The other houses didn't seem to suit me. I've always been the smart one, Beatrice is the flirtatious one and Juliet – well, Juliet is just good in everything she tries." She turned to the other three girls. "Juliet and Beatrice are my sisters. They are in Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Juliet is Head Girl this year," she informed them.

"How about you Lisa?" Mandy asked. 

"Oh, my father's a Muggle, I live with him," she said rather shortly. Sensing that this topic was closed, everyone looked toward Anna. Her stomach did a slight flip-flop, but she managed to answer without showing any emotion. "I worked for a family before coming here. Both my parents were wizards, but they're dead," she said, trying to sound casual. The other girls looked a little shocked. Finally Mandy spoke. 

"Wow, Anna, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, really, they died when I was very young. I can't even remember them." Lisa put a comforting arm around her shoulder. 

"Do you know how they died?" asked Padma. The other girls looked at her, shocked. "Because of You-Know-Who," she quickly added.

"Who-Knows-Who?" asked Lisa. Apparently she didn't know about Voldemort even. This made Anna feel slightly better.

"Oh, that's right, you wouldn't know," said Padma. "So you don't know why Harry Potter's so famous either?"

Anna glanced over at Harry Potter. "I know about the Dark Lord, but not Harry Potter. What's the story?" She leaned in closer, feeling quite conspiratorial.

"Do you see the scar on his forehead?" Anna and Lisa leaned to the side to look; Anna spotted a thin streak of red, shaped like a jagged lightening bolt. "I see it," she said. Lisa nodded. 

"Well," said Padma, "Ten years ago an evil wizard named – oh, you say it Mandy," she broke off.

Mandy closed her large green-blue eyes. When she opened them again, she dramatically breathed out a single word. "_Voldemort_." Ophelia let out a small shudder. Padma winced, but continued her story.

"Ten years ago he was taking over everywhere, killing lots of people. On Halloween, he arrived at the Potter's house. Not much is known about what happened next, but Voldemort killed Harry's parents. Then he turned to curse Harry, and – somehow, he couldn't. Harry survived with nothing but that scar, and no one knows why."

"And You-Know-Who disappeared," whispered Mandy. Her glasses cast spooky shadows across her face in the candlelight. Anna felt a shiver run down her spine. She had never thought to ask Witt what had become of the evil wizard. Beside her, Lisa had pulled her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around them. There was a very silent pause within the little group. Around them the school buzzed cheerily. How odd that they should, thought Anna, as she watched Harry Potter talking to "Weasley, Ron" over at the Gryffindor table. She knew that this Voldemort was the 'Dark Lord' that Witt had spoken of, but she didn't feel like sharing the story of her parent's death with her new friends quite yet.

Soon everyone had finished the last of the food. Desserts now appeared. Anna was too full to eat another bite, but she wrapped some brownies in a napkin and stuck them in her pocket for later. She gazed about the room as others ate the desserts. This had been a long, wonderful day. In fact, it had been the best day of Anna's life. Despite the train ride she thought, glancing at the Slytherin table. Anna had noticed Pansy Parkinson attempting to move toward Draco Malfoy all evening, and now she sat across from him, chattering away. Malfoy sat between a gaunt ghost splattered with what looked to be blood, and a rather large, gorilla-like boy. He still had that dour scowl on his face, and Pansy didn't seem to be improving his mood, Anna noted with a certain amount of pleasure. 

By this time everyone was finished eating, and the remnants of the desserts disappeared from the golden plates. Dumbledore stood once more. The hall fell silent.

"Ahem – just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.

" First year students should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well," he said, his eyes twinkling. 

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.

"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third floor corridor is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Anna turned to the others incredulously, for he must have been joking – but very few people had laughed.

"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!" Dumbledore gave his wand a little flick. A long golden ribbon flew from the tip and formed itself into words over head. Anna had seen a magician pull a scarf out of his pocket at the twin's birthday party once, but this was true magic, she thought with delight.

"Everyone pick their favorite tune, and off we go!"

The room shook as hundreds of voices rang out:

_Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,_

_Teach us something please, _

_Whether we be old and bald_

_Or young with scabby knees,_

_Our heads could do with filling_

_With some interesting stuff,_

_For now they're bare and full of air,_

_Dead flies and bits of fluff,_

_So teach us something worth knowing,_

_Bring back what we've forgot,_

_Just do your best, we'll do the rest,_

_And learn until our brains all rot."_

The last two left singing were a pair of identical twins, with fiery read hair and loads of freckles. Mandy started giggling and Padma shot her a look. "Shh! They'll hear."

Mandy shrugged. "I don't care, I think they're stellar."

"Stellar?" Padma made a funny face. Mandy just stuck her nose up in the air, and tried to look serious.

"Um… do you two know each other – from before, I mean?" asked Lisa. 

"Yes," said Padma, rolling her eyes.

"Unfortunately," added Mandy, but Anna could tell by her grin that she didn't mean it. The five girls got up to leave the hall with the rest of the crowd. A tall, slender girl with wavy hair strode over to them, with several boys following her.

"Hello, my name is Penelope Clearwater," she said, introducing herself cheerily. "I am a prefect for Ravenclaw, and I'm so happy that you're all in my house. Sorry I didn't come over earlier, but I saw you enjoying each others company, and didn't want to break up the party quite yet." Her eyes twinkled. "So… er, I'll lead the way, shall I?"

The Ravenclaw first years obeyed her, falling into line. They walked back out into the entrance, and up the great marble staircase. Anna gazed about in wonder once more. She tripped over a tapestry at the top of the stairs, and stubbed her toe. "Ouch!"

"Mind where you're going," remarked Penelope absent-mindedly, her gaze following the bespectacled red-head leading another group of first years up another flight of stairs. Padma raised her eyebrows meaningfully at Ophelia.

Just when Anna's legs were starting to ache from climbing, and her brain was turned in knots from so many turns, and hidden doors, Penelope stopped in front of a suit of armor. "Nunquam Titallandus," she ordered. The armor took a life of it's own, bowing and stepping aside to reveal a doorway. Penelope led the new students into the room. 

"This is our common room," said Penelope, arching out her arm once the armor had resumed it's former state. Anna liked the space right away. It was a circular room, with a blue carpet on the floor, blue armchairs, bookshelves that lined the walls, and a blue fire crackling merrily in the hearth. Penelope grinned as she saw this. "Looks as if the welcoming committee already arrived. You'll find your rooms at the top of the stairs. Boys to the right, girls to the left." She gestured at the two spiral staircases that continued out of sight. 

Anna followed Padma and Mandy, as they hopped up the stairs two steps at a time. They reached the door at the very top, and Mandy thrust it open. "I call the window bed!" she shouted with glee. Even Padma couldn't help but grin at this remark.

Anna chose one of the five beds, the second from the door. She sat down, smoothing the blue bedspread with her hand. A small weight fell at her side, attracting her attention.

"Greymalkin!" she cried, picking up the kitten, and hugging him tight. Lisa walked over, holding a Siamese cat in her arms. The cat stared at Greymalkin with it's wide blue eyes.

"I see you brought a cat too," said Lisa. "I hope they get along. This is Isis." She held the larger cat out for Greymalkin to sniff. She batted at the kitten, who hopped back into Anna's lap. Anna and Lisa looked at each other and grinned.

"They'll learn to live with it," laughed Anna. Padma came over and sat next to Anna. 

"My sister and I drew straw on who would get our cat," said Padma, stroking Greymalkin wistfully, "and Parvati got her. All I get is the family Mongoose – that's Kip," she pointed.

"I didn't know you could have mongooses here," said Mandy, padding over in her slippered feet. She had already drawn her bed curtains, and changed into her pajamas.

"Mum sent Dumbledore a letter, and he said he could make an exception. They kill snakes and all." She raised her eyebrows at Mandy, reminding Anna of that similar gesture out in the hall.

"What was that about?" she asked, "When you looked at Ophelia on the way up?"

Ophelia looked up from the bag at her feet – she had been placing books on the shelf – "Oh, that. Penelope seems to be in love with my neighbor."

"Your neighbor?" Mandy turned and questioned. 

"Yes – Ottery St. Catchpole. It's our family, and the Diggory's and the Lovegood's and the Weasley's. The one Penelope was watching was a Weasley – Percy to be precise. Those were his brothers, the ones who were the last to finish singing. And Ronald was sorted into Gryffindor. Juliet used to play Quidditch with the boys when we were younger. You're not related to the Weasleys, are you Anna?" she inquired.

"No," replied Anna, knowing all of her relatives must be dead. Otherwise – well, Anna didn't think she wanted any relatives that wouldn't take in a poor orphaned child.

"Just wondering – the hair and all." Ophelia smiled, as Anna brought several of her books over to the bookcase. "Oh! _Lydia Trendille_ – I love that one!"

"You've read it?" asked Anna eagerly. Ophelia smiled, and nodded, but Padma cut in.

"Oh, dear, she'll be talking about it for days now. Anna, you're in for it."

"No, I love to read!" exclaimed Anna. "Especially _Lydia_, she's my favorite."

"May I read that sometime?" Lisa asked.

"Certainly! Any of my books – you can borrow." Anna was more than happy to have someone to share something with, after having so little for so long.

"But tonight," interjected Padma, "I'm planning on sleeping. I, for one, am exhausted."

"And we have class tomorrow," added Ophelia, placing the last book gently on the shelf.

"Already?" asked Anna.

"Shame, isn't it?" quipped Mandy, but Anna could tell she was excited too. "Goodnight everyone."

"Goodnight, Mandy," came the chorus of four voices. Each girl made their way to their beds, got into their pajama's and under the covers, and promptly fell asleep. The last sensation of Anna's wonderful day was that of a small, warm cat curling up to her, and falling off into dreams-so-sweet.

A/N: Wow, that was a long one! So Anna's a Ravenclaw – big surprise given the title, huh? Maybe she should've been a Hufflepuff just to throw everyone. Nah… Kudos to those of you who figured out Roger's last name. J Now there's another big gap I have to write (I wrote this chapter in October). So… it may be a while. Sorry! But review always help… er – inspire me. *Isn't that horrid?*


	9. Of Needles, Shrivelfigs and Trick Stairw...

Anna woke early the following morning, and silently dressed

Of Needles, Shrivelfigs, and 

Trick Stairways

Chapter IX

Anna woke early the following morning, and dressed in her new robes. 

The heavy blue curtains of the other beds were still drawn, and the sun was just now breaking through the clouds low on the horizon. Anna tiptoed over to the open window, carefully not to wake her sleeping roommates, and poked her head out into the chilly morning air. She smiled as she looked over the grounds of the castle. It was just now sinking in that she was really here – that she was a student at Hogwarts. It seemed like some wonderful dream, one that she had yet to wake up from.

She walked back over to her suitcase, sitting at the foot of her bed. She opened it quietly, and went about taking out and arranging her school things. She grinned at the bottle of color change ink, and slipped it into her bag, along with several quills and scrolls of parchment. Lisa was stirring in the bed next to hers. Anna glanced at the wristwatch Lisa had left on her nightstand. It was already seven o'clock. Greymalkin yawned, letting out a tiny 'merrow'. Anna grinned at him, falling back on her bed to pet him. "You behave yourself today, Malkie," she giggled, kissing the kitten's nose. He scrunched up into a ball, batting at her hand playfully.

Mandy threw open her bed curtains, and got out, fully dressed. "Did you sleep like that?" Anna laughed.

"Yup. Easier to get up in the morning." Mandy padded over to Padma's bed, and opened the curtains. "Oi, lazy! Time to get up."

Anna heard a laugh from Lisa's bed. Lisa flung open the blue curtains. "Good morning everyone. Is Ophelia up?" Mandy walked over to Ophelia's bed.

"Felia?"

Just then, Ophelia walked in through the door of the dorm. "I'm here. Just thought I'd get in some studying before we start our classes today. I went down to the common room, I didn't want to disturb anybody."

Mandy goggled at her. Padma just laughed, and threw a pillow at Mandy's head. "That's what you get for waking me up, Brocklehurst!" A pillow fight ensued between the two girls, and kept up until Padma decided she'd better change. She pulled the curtains once more, and in moments, she hopped out, fully dressed. "Now that is the difference between me and my sister. She is not a morning person."

"And you are?" Mandy snorted.

"I think that prize goes to Ophelia and Anna," Padma commented. "Well, shall we?" she motioned down the stairs.

The Great Hall didn't take that long to find, as the girls followed a crowd of fourth years down from the Common Room. Anna couldn't help but gaze up at the ceiling as they entered. It was a sunny day, judging by the bright blue sky, and windy. The clouds flew by overhead as Anna seated herself between Lisa and Mandy.

"Pass the pumpkin juice?"

Anna did as she was told, peering into the jug. The contents were an orange color, and appeared to be what Padma had said. Anna didn't comment, but Lisa did.

"Pumpkin juice? How odd?"

Padma and Mandy exchanged a look, but hid their smiles as they helped themselves to eggs, sausage and toast.

Penelope Clearwater came over to them, and handed out their timetables. "Have a wonderful first day!" she told them as she continued down the table. 

"Transfiguration today. Cool!" commented Mandy.

"Which one is that again?" asked Lisa.

"That's where you take one object, and magically change it to another," replied Padma. "Just like the name. Trans – you know, to change something?"

"Oh."

Just then, a great shadow fell over the hall. Anna looked up, and thought for one moment that the sky was falling. The next, she quickly corrected herself as she noticed the dark shapes had wings. The owls swooped over the tables, dropping packages and letters in the laps of their masters. Mandy and Ophelia received their letters without surprise. But Anna was rather shocked as a large grey barn owl swooped over, and dropped a letter in her lap. She smiled as she recognized Witt's fancy hand, and tucked the letter into her robe to read after class. Mandy ripped her letter open, and Ophelia sliced the seal on hers with her butter knife. Mandy finished her letter rather quickly, scribbled something on the back, and tied it to the leg of the owl who was standing by. 

"This is Helena, by the way," Mandy told them as she threw the owl up into the air. "She's my owl, I got her for my birthday last June. Mum just wanted to make sure I'd gotten here okay – hadn't blown up the Hogwarts Express or anything." 

Ophelia was taking her time with her letter, her eyes glued to the parchment. Padma looked up, as another girl, two tables down called out her name. Anna blinked, to make sure she wasn't seeing double. Padma and her twin really were identical. "Write Mum, she says hello!"

Anna turned to say something to Lisa, but stopped as she realized that she hadn't received any mail.

"How are you going to keep in touch with your father?" she asked.

"Someone told us that the school has owls you can send out. I'm going to mail him today, after class."

As soon as the plates were magically cleared, the girls headed up the grand staircase in search of the Transfiguration classroom. They had to stop several times, to ask older students for help. Once, they ran across the Friar that had appeared before the sorting – the resident ghost of Hufflepuff. He was extremely helpful, offering to lead them there. So the group arrived, a bit out of breath, but on time for their first class.

Anna was quite pleased to see McGonagall was the teacher. She liked something about her no-nonsense air, something that reminded her of Witt. McGonagall gave them a lecture as soon as they all were seated, about the importance of Transfiguration, and how anyone caught fooling around in class would leave and not be welcomed back. Anna sat up straighter in her chair, rapt in attention.

It proved to be a fascinating class. McGonagall turned her desk into a pig, and back again, much to Anna's delight. The class took several pages of notes on the theory of Transfiguration, but Anna enjoyed even this, writing down her own little explanations, and drawing little pictures where needed. She glanced over at Lisa's notes, to get a sentence she'd missed, and she noticed the little doodles all over Lisa's page as well. Most were explanations and diagrams of the subject, but there was also a pony, and a girl with pigtails who looked very much like Anna. Anna grinned, and mouthed _that's wonderful!_

Lisa blushed, but smiled, and mouthed back _Thanks!_

McGonagall handed out matches, which the students were supposed to turn into needles. Anna quickly reread her notes several times. She really wanted to get this right. Toward the end of class, she looked about, worried that her needle still had no eye. When she saw Mandy and Padma struggling to make theirs silver and pointy, she felt a certain sense of satisfaction. Indeed, she was one of only three who had managed to make her match anything close to a needle. Lisa had managed to get her match the correct shape, but seemed to be having trouble converting it from wood to metal. Anna gave her a few tips, and the needle began to take on a shiny appearance. Mandy looked enviously across the table. "You're a natural, at this, I reckon." McGonagall praised her as well, showing the needle to the class, eye and all. "Very good, Miss Moon," she said, giving Anna a rare smile.

All in all, it was a wonderful first day. Anna read Witt's letter that night, writing her a hasty note back, detailing all the events of the day. She went up to the owlery with Lisa to send their letters off. It was a fascinating place, with a wonderful view of the grounds. The two girls stood by the window for the longest time, talking and watching the sun set red on the horizon. 

On Tuesday, the girls had Herbology. After breakfast, they ran from the Great Hall down to the greenhouses below the courtyard. At the doorway, Padma checked, causing Mandy to bump into her.

"Hey, watch where you're – "

Mandy stopped as she spotted the cause of Padma's sudden halt. "Slytherins…" she muttered, saying the word like a curse.

The girls seated themselves at a table, and were getting out their notebooks, when Pansy Parkinson made her entrance. She walked over toward the table where Draco Malfoy was seated, telling his troll-like friends some tale with elaborate hand motions. Draco looked up at her, smirking. She turned, and seated herself at the next table over, the table next to the Ravenclaw girls. At this moment, Professor Sprout walked in, and started the lesson. They were to prune the shrivelfig bushes she had brought in, so they would grow and be used for Potions class. She passed out the plants and shears, explaining the medicinal properties of the shrivelfigs. Mandy glowered at Pansy, but she didn't seem to notice the Ravenclaws at all. She was too busy gazing at Malfoy, Anna laughed to herself. The girls pruned their bushes in silence. It wasn't until Lisa sneezed that Pansy noticed the group.

She looked down her short nose at the five girls, her mouth crinkling up as if she smelled something rather disgusting. Her eyes caught on Padma, who was wearing an expression of equal disgust.

"Hello Patil. Heard your sister found herself a boyfriend. That Longbottom idiot."

Mandy leaned forward, as if she thought she might have to hold Padma back. But Padma coolly replied, "You'd better not let Parvati hear you talking about her, Pansy. She'd beat you into a bloody pulp, and you know it."

Pansy blushed a bit at this, but kept staring straight at the group. Her gaze fell on Anna and Lisa. "Associating with muggles and the help, are we now?"

Mandy moved forward at this. "You ignorant prick!"

"Excuse me?"

Mandy waved her pruning shears at Pansy in a threatening way. Anna took them from her hand and set them on the table, next to the shrivelfig bush. She spoke in a low, even voice, but her hand shook as she picked up her potted plant.

"I don't see any Muggles or servants here, Pansy. You are obviously mistaken. Lisa and I have as much of a right to be here as you do."

Pansy opened her mouth to make another nasty remark, but just then, Professor Sprout wandered over.

"Need any help girls?"

Lisa smiled weakly. "No thank you, we're managing."

The girls continued to glare at each other over their plants as the professor walked over to the next table.

After class, Anna collected her things in a hurry, and stalked out. The other four followed close behind. Anna furiously blinked back tears. How dare that girl try and ruin her second day here? The nerve! Padma caught up to her.

"I see you've met Pansy already?"

Anna nodded curtly. "Unfortunately. On the train here. She was positively awful." By this point, the other three were even with them, all peering at Anna questioningly. Lisa looked paler than usual, if that was possible.

"She lives in the same area as I do," said Padma, "and Parvati and I were always forced to play with her. We used to play great tricks on her, she was always such a spoiled brat." Padma sighed. "What a jerk."

"She deserves Draco Malfoy completely," commented Anna.

Padma stopped in her tracks. "What?!"

"Malfoy. She likes Draco Malfoy. What, she never mentioned him to you?"

"Goodness, no," Padma chuckled. "Like she would ever – oh, my!" She had to hold her side from the combined efforts of jogging to keep up with Anna and laughing. "That is the best thing I've heard in a long time." Her dark eyes glinted mischievously.

"What are you on about?" asked Mandy.

"Pansy. She likes Malfoy!"

"Does Malfoy know about this?"

"I don't think so," responded Anna. "At least it didn't sound like it he knew when she talked of it on the train."

"Excellent!"

"You have to do this properly though," interjected Ophelia. 

"Yeah," added Mandy. "We have to embarrass her as much as possible."

The girls all giggled at this. Pansy breezed by them, nose in the air. As soon as she had passed, they broke out howling.

"She deserves it," said Anna firmly. "Anything we can do…"

On Wednesday, the girls had Charms. Anna liked the tiny Professor Flitwick already, but she could tell that he was going to be a good teacher as well as a good Head of House. She listened intently, and copied the notes off the board. He demonstrated the Lumos and Nox charms, and Anna was thrilled to be among those to raise her hand when he asked who had already tried these spells. 

"Good then," he squeaked, surveying the half of the class with arms raised. "Partner up with someone who's never tried it before." Anna was quite happy to be paired with Lisa, who was sitting at the space on her right. Pretty soon, the class was full of twinkling wand tips, going off and on like lightening bugs. Lisa caught on right away. She grinned at Anna. "A good spell for reading under the covers late at night, huh?"

"Precisely."

But while Wednesdays class was wonderful – Thursday was the exact opposite. Ophelia dug her timetable out of her satchel at breakfast that morning, and Mandy, who was glancing over her shoulder, made a face.

"What is it?" Lisa inquired.

"Potions. I've heard the teacher is terrible."

"You shouldn't try to prejudice them before we've even had the class," chided Ophelia. "It's hardly fair, and besides, Potions are fascinating."

Mandy looked at her as if she'd grown an extra head.

"Actually, I agree," said Padma through a mouthful of toast. "But I've heard Professor Snape is awful. I suppose I'll just have to try and stay out of it…"

The four others grinned at each other. The day Padma stayed 'out of' something would be the day that pigs could fly. Though, Anna reminded herself, that was completely possible at Hogwarts.

They arrived early, so as not to invoke the wrath of the Potions master, and took seats near the back of the class. Professor Snape swept in. He was rather frightening looking, Anna thought, with that hooked nose and those cold eyes. The rest of the class filed in, including some children who weren't in Anna's other classes. She glanced over at Mandy.

"_Hufflepuffs_," she mouthed back.

"Certainly better than Tuesday's group," Anna murmured.

"Don't let Snape catch you saying that, or it'll be points and detention on your first day," whispered Padma. 

Anna couldn't help but believe this as Professor Snape turned to see where the murmuring was coming from, and fixed them with an imperious glare. Luckily, at this time Terry Boot strode in.

"You're late boy. What is your name?"

Terry was caught a bit off guard. He stopped, one foot still in the air.

"Er, Boot. Terry Boot sir."

"And what house do you belong to, Boot?"

"Ravenclaw sir."

Professor Snape glanced down at his list. "Five points from Ravenclaw, Boot. Be seated."

Terry's jaw dropped a bit, but he walked over to a free seat by a Hufflepuff boy, and sat down. The class was dead silent. Snape smiled coldly.

He gave them a little speech, about the class, ending with a remark about the supposed intelligence and hard work of the houses present. He made it sound like an insult, Anna noted. She sunk down in her seat a bit. Padma, however, sat up straighter, looking at Snape as if daring him to ask her the first question.

After calling the role, he glanced about once more. "So," he said with a smirk, "we get to test the brainpower of Ravenclaw." Anna felt this was a bit unfair, as Hufflepuffs made up half the class. Adding them into the equation would have also heightened her chances of _not_ being picked to answer his questions. "You there," Anna felt her heart stop, and Padma stiffened at her side. No, not you. You, Miss Patil. What type of egg can be eaten whole as a cure for ague?"

"That would be an Ashwinder egg sir."

Snape got up from his desk and stood with his arms crossed, looking rather menacing. "Well, well," he muttered, rather sarcastically. "Miss Patil has done her summer reading. Miss Fawcett, what are the feathers of a Jobberknoll used for?"

"Jobberknoll feathers are a basic ingredient of any potion having to do with the mind, such as Memory Potions and Truth Serums," Ophelia recited. Professor Snape gazed at her for a moment, as if daring her to smile. Ophelia merely blinked at him, a little perplexed, and he turned to Lisa.

"Miss…" he looked at his scroll of names "Turpin, what is the difference between monkshead and wolfsbane?"

Lisa's pale skin turned a rosy color. "I don't know sir."

Finally, the look of superiority returned to his face. "And what house would you be in?"

"Ravenclaw," she whispered, her hair falling over her red cheeks as she looked at her hands folded in her lap.

Professor Snape raised an eyebrow. "And why is no one copying this down? Get out your books. We will be starting at chapter two, page thirty-seven." There was a rustle of paper as everyone rummaged through their bags. Beneath the cover of the noise, Anna leaned over to Lisa, her cheeks still bright pink, and muttered, "Don't worry, I had no clue about that either. I think he's perfectly horrid."

Lisa gave Anna a half smile as she brought her quill out of her bag.

After taking several sheets of notes, the class was told to pair up. Lisa looked toward Anna, but Anna nudged her toward Padma instead. Better for one person in the group to know what was going on. Mandy paired up with Ophelia, so Anna tapped the shoulder of the girl in front of her.

"Do you want to be partners?"

The girl looked thoroughly relieved. "Your name is Anna? I'm Susan. Here, we can use my cauldron." Anna left her desk, and moved up a seat to join her at the cauldron.

"Do you have a clue what's going on here?" Susan whispered.

"Not the faintest."

"Oh… well me neither. Mum always tried to get me to help her when she made things, but I'm really hopeless. Can't seem to follow instructions, as hard as I try, I jumble them all up."

Susan was cut off as Professor Snape explained the potion they would be making. Anna felt the nervousness rising in her stomach. She wished she had asked Padma or Ophelia to help her review before class.

"Okay," she said, "once he was finished. "How about I read, and tell you what to so, and you measure out the ingredients and stirred them in?"

Susan nodded her head, sending her blonde pigtails bobbing. "All right."

Professor Snape walked around, hovering over each pair, and making snide comments about the runniness or color of their potions. He was just moving toward Anna and Susan (the later started stirring much more quickly than necessary due to her nervousness) when Padma called out…

"Professor, we're finished."

Professor Snape whipped around, and glided over to the cauldron where Padma and Lisa were working. He leered at the potion, but couldn't seem to find anything bad to say about it. "And how did Miss Turpin help?" he asked after a moment.

"She measured and mixed the last six ingredients," said Padma defiantly. 

Snape regarded the two girls carefully. "Well done Miss Patil. Maybe your friend here can be helped yet." With that, he stalked off over to the overflowing cauldron where Terry and Justin the Hufflepuff were working. 

The class continued on like this, with Professor Snape swooping about the dungeon like an overgrown bat. Anna and Susan managed to make their potion satisfactory, especially when compared with some of the others. Terry's potion was now a bright orange, instead of the dull green of the others. In any case, Anna was quite glad when the bell rang. She hurriedly scribble down her homework and gathered her things. Mandy and Lisa seemed rather eager to leave as well, but Padma held them up.

"Just a second." She took a tiny crystal phial, and poured a bit of the potion in through a funnel.

"What are you doing?" asked Mandy, staring at the phial.

Padma popped a cork on it. "Keeping samples," she said brightly. "So I can compare if I ever need to make it again."

Mandy just shook her head. "Well, now I see why _you're_ in Ravenclaw."

Padma scowled, throwing her bag over her shoulder. "Come on, let's go."

On Friday afternoon, the girls had a bit of an adventure, involving the staircase they had taken up to their first History of Magic class, on Tuesday afternoon. DADA had been fairly boring. The textbook was interesting, however, and instead of listening to the stammering Professor, Anna read. Something about the man struck her as funny – but then again, Anna hadn't seen many people who wore turbans before. She was rather glad to be done with the class for the week. But now, the girls were running five minutes late.

Lisa glanced about. "It's this staircase, right?"

Ophelia nodded, and they headed up toward the fourth floor. They came out at the top, and turned the corner. Anna frowned. "This isn't right."

"Sure it is," said Mandy. "Same thing we did last time." They turned the corner, and stopped, staring at the entrance of the Great Hall.

"What?!" cried Lisa. 

Padma shook her head, covering her face in her hands. Ophelia moaned.

"Oh, dear. Julie told me about this – there's a stair that takes you a different place on Fridays. That must have been it!"

"So how do we get there?" 

"There's got to be a different way," said Anna, "there has to be."

"A different way where?" The girls turned to see Roger Davies.

"Why aren't you in class?" Anna asked. "You'll be late."

"Yeah, but so will you, if you don't hurry. Where do you need to go?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Professor Binns room, fourth floor," Lisa piped up.

"Oh, that's not hard. Wait – did you take the trick stairs?" he asked, trying to hide a grin. The girls nodded sheepishly. "I have DADA next anyway, and that's up there as well."

"Oh," said Anna, "we had that his morning."

"Have fun?" he asked, leading them through a tapestry, into another hall.

"Not really." Anna crinkled her nose. "The teacher seemed pretty silly, if you ask me."

"Oh, Quirrell? Yeah, he's a basket case. But it's still a neat class."

"Well, at least the textbook's interesting," Anna sighed.

Roger just shook his head. "You and your books. Well," he said, as they turned another corner, "here you are. Think you can remember how to get here next time?"

"Yes, _some_ of us were paying attention," said Padma, smiling at Anna in a strange way. Anna shook this off as they crept into the back of the classroom, trying to be as quiet as possible. There was really no need for this, as Professor Binns didn't even look at them, just continued lecturing. This caused Mandy and Lisa to go off in a fit of silent giggles as the other girls brought out their quills and started to take notes.

By the last week of the month, the schedule seemed like second nature to Anna. Each girl had their favorite class. Anna's was by far Transfiguration, while Mandy loved Charms. Lisa was equally split between the two. Padma, for some strange reason, truly enjoyed Potions, and Ophelia was quite in earnest when she told Anna that she loved them all. At least until a certain notice made it's way up in the Ravenclaw Common Room.

"Flying Lessons?!" 

"All right!" cheered Padma. 

Lisa turned to look at her, her violet eyes wide in her pale face. "Flying? Like on broomsticks?"

"Yeah – it's great, you'll love it!"

While Lisa looked rather pale, Anna was thinking to herself what a grand adventure this would be. Her thoughts were interrupted however, by a voice from over her left shoulder.

"So, are you excited?"

Anna turned to face the speaker. Oh. It was just Roger. "Well," she said carefully, "I suppose I am."

"Suppose? What's that supposed to mean? Flying's the second best reason for being a wizard, and as Quidditch is the first, it's very important to know."

Anna tried not to laugh at this. "Okay Roger. Whatever you say."

"I hardly think Quidditch is the most exciting thing about being a wizard," commented Ophelia.

Padma looked at her critically. "Just because you'd rather read than fly…"

"I'd rather read than do anything!" Anna interrupted, noting the look on Ophelia's face. 

"Well," said Roger, sensing the tension between the girls, "the first match of the year is coming up soon. Slytherin against Gryffindor. And Gryffindor still doesn't have a seeker, though Wood would never admit it to me." He grinned, shaking his head. "Anyway, you should all be there – especially you two." He nodded at Anna and Lisa. "You've never seen a Quidditch match before, have you Lisa?"

"No, but I think I will like watching," she said with a slight smile.

"Well, in that case…" his voice trailed off as he saw a few of his friends enter through the revolving bookcase, "I'll see you guys there." He jogged over to join them, with a "Hey, Banks – wait up!"

Anna turned back to the notice posted on the wall. "With the Hufflepuffs," she commented. "That's nice. Susan Bones is really sweet."

"Certainly better than the Slytherins," commented Mandy. "So, how do you know Roger Davies anyway?"

"Oh," Anna replied, remembering that her old friend had a new name to get used to. "Well, he was at the orphanage with me."

"Roger was an orphan too?" asked Padma incredulously. 

"Yes. He was adopted by the Davies around the same time as I went to work at the Snydley-Pinkenweiler's."

Mandy snorted. "Sorry, I just can't get over that name."

"Well," said Anna with a sigh, "it certainly suited them."

"Were they really awful?" asked Lisa, her round eyes full of sympathy.

"Fairly so," said Anna. "But I'd rather not talk about it. How about this Quidditch match?"

Padma then proceeded to tell them about the game, and the two teams playing, with a bit of help from Ophelia. Apparently Julie had been a chaser for Gryffindor, but had dropped out to concentrate on her NEWTS.

"Oliver Wood was not happy at all," she told them, in a hushed tone. "But Julie was adamant. Besides, as she said, they had a great reserve chaser last year – Alicia Spinnet. Julieand Angelina worked with her last year, and she says she's quite good. Angelina Johnson's the other chaser, along with Katie Bell. And the Weasley twins are the Beaters. Julie used to go over there to practice, especially when Charlie was still at home." She smiled a little at this. "Then Oliver is the keeper, of course. He's threatening to make her play Seeker if they can't find one – and Julie detests playing Seeker." Ophelia looked up in surprise as the grandfather clock chimed eight. "Oh! Time to start homework." 

It had become a routine for all five to sit in a circle in front of the Ravenclaw fireplace and do their work. Anna rather enjoyed it, sitting there, mostly silent. Occasionally Mandy would send them all into giggles, or Lisa would ask a question about some aspect of the wizarding world. Sometimes Greymalkin would saunter down from the dorms, and sit purring on Anna's lap. Once work was done, the five would sit there, just talking, or playing a game of wizard chess, or reading. 

It was very odd, thought Anna, as she dozed off to sleep that night, but very wonderful that she had found friends like these –even better than books.


	10. The Quindecimdei Club

"Hey, Anna

The Quindecimdei Club

Chapter X

Flying lessons were to be held Wednesday, on the Quidditch pitch out behind the school.

Anna couldn't wait, but she hid her excitement, afraid that if she seemed too happy about the lesson, she would fail – fall off her broomstick, or something of that sort.

Mandy and Padma couldn't wait. They both loved Quidditch, and had known how to fly for years. "It's really quite simple," Mandy was telling Lisa. It was already Wednesday morning, and the girls were having breakfast down in the Great Hall. "You just hold on, kick off, and then lean your body to make the broom go where you want it to."

Lisa nodded, but still didn't seem very sure about the whole idea. She refused to eat the toast Anna poked onto her plate. Ophelia just sat there, eyes closed, long fingers pressed into her temples.

"Felia, eat something. Please?" wheedled Padma. Ophelia looked at her weakly, and shook her head. The hall was starting to clear out.

"Well, looks like it's time!" said Mandy cheerfully. She stood up, dusting crumbs off her robes. Anna followed her, then Lisa. Padma had to give Ophelia a hand getting up. She looked quite pale. Anna felt sorry for Ophelia, but she supposed no one could be perfect, and this must be Ophelia's flaw.

They arrived out on the grassy field several minutes early. Susan Bones was already there and Anna glanced over, waving hello. Susan looked a bit nervous, but she smiled brightly and waved back. Padma poked Anna's arm, and pointed to the woman heading down the field, arms full of broomsticks. "That's Madam Hooch."

"Good Morning, girls. Would you mind helping me with these broomsticks? Ah, there we go." Mandy came over, and took several, and the others followed suit. "Now lay them out on the ground, one row please. Yes, that's about the right spacing," she said, pointing to the brooms Anna had set down. The laid out the brooms, about twenty in all. By this time, the rest of the class had arrived, with a few stragglers still making their way down the hill. Once they were all there, in a small huddle around Madam Hooch, she began.

"Right then. How many of you here have flown before?"

A little over half the class raised their hands.

"Great. Well then, each of you go find yourself a broom." The class followed her instructions, standing in line, whispering and giggling. Anna found herself a space between Ophelia and Susan.

Madam Hooch went on to explain how to call up your broom, how to mount and grip it properly. "All right, stick your right hand over the broom, and UP!"

Anna's broom gave a small leap, but fell back to the ground. Next to her, Ophelia's broom didn't budge. She glanced over at Mandy and Padma. Each of them held their broom tightly in their hands, looking rather pleased with themselves.

After three tries, Anna's broom finally leapt into her hand. She gave a sigh of relief. To her left, Ophelia was still having trouble with hers. "UP! UP!" 

"Dear, it won't come if you don't want it to," said Madam Hooch, passing by. This seemed to stiffen Ophelia's resolve. 

"UP!" she commanded. This time it jumped up into her hand. Anna glanced about again. Everyone was now mounting the broomsticks. Anna followed Madam Hooch's instructions and hopped on. Madam Hooch came around, correcting the way the students gripped the broom.

"Like golf," Lisa giggled. She was on Susan's other side.

"Now, on my whistle," called Madam Hooch, "three, two, one…" There was a sharp tweet, and Anna kicked off lightly. From the ground, Madam Hooch called out, "All right now, hold them steady there. Good! Now slowly - Carefully MacMillan! - tip the broom back toward the ground, and lean forward slightly - Not that much, Perks!." The students made their way back toward the ground, most rather reluctantly.

It was an odd feeling, soaring that high in the air with no support, only a magical broomstick – but Anna enjoyed it. She had felt a slight shiver run down her spine as she had kicked off the ground – one of fear, and yet, of delight. She listened impatiently as Madam Hooch critiqued their form. Finally, they were allowed to try again, for a bit longer. With 15 minutes of class left, Madam Hooch let them all up in the air, for as long as they wished. Anna stayed up the whole time, practicing wide circles, and little dives. Padma and Mandy started tossing a small ball around that Mandy had brought expressly for this purpose. 

"No horseplay there Brocklehurst, Patil! You can play Quidditch on your own time. You're not getting hurt under my watch!"

Anna glanced down and noticed Ophelia sitting on the bench at the edge of the field. Anna couldn't understand why she wouldn't like this – this was wonderful! Even Lisa seemed to agree. She was over to Anna's right, soaring along next to Susan Bones. The two girls were laughing about something. Normally, Anna would have joined them, but just now, she felt like being alone. She attempted a little loop-de-loop, as she had seen some of the boys perform. She laughed as she turned upside-down, quickly righting herself. "Careful there Moon!" called Madam Hooch from below. A few moments later, she whistled for them to come down. With a few groans, the children landed. Anna hit the earth fairly hard, digging her heels in. "Mind you don't destroy the field, Moon!" Anna blushed.

After lunch, Anna realized she had left her Charms book up in the dorm. Breathlessly, she ran down the stairs to the third floor, praying she wouldn't be late. Professor Flitwick would understand, she was sure, but still… Just then, a voice stopped her.

"Hey, Anna!"

Anna turned, her eyes widening in surprise. 

Standing on the stair, holding a stitch in his side, was a tall, sandy haired boy whose face looked awfully familiar.

"Aidan! How are you?"

He loped down the stairs, a half grin on his face. "I'm fine. It's great to see you again! I saw you at the sorting, but I haven't had time to catch up with you. Been busy with school and all that."

"What, not lurking down any corridors in the middle of the night?"

"Well, some of that too. But I've been more careful ever since…" his face went dark. "Well, how've you been?"

"Oh, since I've been here, fabulous. So I suppose all of the children at Ms. Morpheus's were like us? Magical I mean."

He nodded his head. "Yeah, wicked lady never bothered to tell anyone. Have you seen Abigail Murphy? She keeps asking about you."

"Abigail Murphy? You mean Abby? No, I haven't – what house is she in?"

"Hufflepuff. She has Herbology with me." Anna made a mental note to ask Susan about her.

"What house are you in?"

"Slytherin."

Aidan? _In Slytherin?_ Anna's head spun. But weren't all Slytherins mean, horrible people? Like Professor Snape and Pansy?

Anna thoughts must have betrayed her features, for the expression on Aidan's face changed. He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, I've got to go to Transfiguration now, or McGonagall will have my hide. It was nice to see you again though." Anna managed to nod as he swept past her, down the hall.

But it was hard to stay gloomy or pensive for long at Hogwarts. The entire school was excited over the upcoming Quidditch match – the first of the season. It would be held in less than a month – and already the tension was mounting. In fact, Anna was quite excited as well. She had had fun flying, and couldn't wait to do it again, or at least watch others fly. Ophelia would shudder whenever Quidditch was mentioned, smile slightly, and say that she preferred to keep her feet on the ground thank-you-very-much. She was up in the dormitory now; Anna could hear strains of a mournful melody played on the violin. She glanced up from her Charms homework at Mandy and Lisa. 

"I'm going upstairs to check on Ophelia. She's been really quiet today."

"She's always quiet," commented Mandy, raising an eyebrow. Lisa merely gave a sympathetic smile and nodded.

Anna headed up the stairs to her room. She stopped outside the door, and rapped gently. The music stopped. "May I come in?" she asked.

There was a pause, then the door handle turned. Ophelia was standing there, violin in hand. "Sorry," she said simply, letting Anna through the door.

Anna stepped in. "Er… Ophelia, are you okay?"

She looked surprised at this question. "Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Anna shrugged, falling back on her bed. Isis took this opportunity to leapt up and sit on her stomach. "I don't know. I guess you seemed kind of quiet."

Ophelia gave a soft laugh. "I never have much to say, Anna." She turned away, blinking back tears.

"Ophelia! What's wrong?"

It was Ophelia's turn to plop down on her bed. She faced Anna, miserable tears coursing down her face. "Oh Anna – I miss them!"

"Who, your parents?"

Ophelia nodded. "And my sister, Emilia. I'm so silly," she said, trying to brush the tears away. I told myself, it does no good to be homesick. And I love it here – I really do! Oh, I don't know what is wrong with me." She stared out the window, a miserable expression on her face. "My birthday was two weeks ago, and I didn't even tell anyone. I didn't care, really. I'm eleven. And I don't really care."

The girls sat in silence for quite some time. Anna stared down at Isis, petting her gently. The Siamese purred loudly, a comforting sound. Ophelia just stared out the window.

"What's your sister like?" asked Anna suddenly.

Ophelia looked back at her, a bit surprised. "Emilia?" Anna nodded. "Oh, she's my best friend. Julie is head girl, you know, she's always been the outstanding one. She and Bea were always close – the two popular, funny ones. Then there was me – and Emilia. She understands me more than any other person. I'm sure if she was my twin – like Padma and Parvati – that she would be here, in Ravenclaw. But she won't be here for another year. And I miss her already…"

Anna sat there, feeling sorry for Ophelia, and for herself. She wished she had sisters so badly. And Ophelia had four! But poor girl, she must miss her little sister terribly…

"Have you owled her yet?"

"Every day." Ophelia managed to smile a bit at this. "That's what's been making me homesick, I think. Poor Emilia is stuck at home all by herself, and I feel for her so. Getting stuck with Mum and Dad…oh, they're nice enough. It's just not the same as having someone your own age to talk to."

"Well," said Anna, "if you ever need to talk, please tell me. I really do like you Ophelia, and so does Lisa. Padma and Mandy do to, but you've known them for so long."

"Not really. I know Padma fairly well, our mothers were good friends at Hogwarts. When we were little, they would visit, and the six of us would play together. But Parvati and Padma usually ended up playing Quidditch with Julie and Bea, and I'm rubbish at sports. I just know Mandy from a few of the twin's birthday parties, and that sort of thing."

"But they do like you," insisted Anna. "I can tell. They just don't show it – well, like Lisa shows it, I suppose." The two girls grinned at this. Lisa loved everybody – and never failed to show it with a hug or a kind word. "By the way, I finished the Chronicles of Cessair. Thank you so much for lending it to me – it was marvelous. I'd love to see Cessair meet Lydia, wouldn't you?"

The girls then fell into a deep discussion of the possibility of a meeting between their two favorite literary characters. It was only ended by Lisa slipping into the room to tell them that they'd better get to supper. The three walked down to the Great Hall together. 

They sat down at the table next to Mandy and Padma. "Where have you been?" Anna asked Padma.

"She was in the library, looking up the potions for next week. Crazy girl, I had to drag her away."

Padma shot Mandy a venomous look, but refrained from saying anything. "Pass the dumplings please?" Anna finished with the bowl, and passed it on. She was carefully adding carrots to the side when Lisa spoke.

"Guess what tomorrow is?" 

"October 15th?" said Padma sensibly.

"Well, that too," replied Lisa. "But it's also my birthday. Finally! It seems I'm one of the youngest in the class."

"You're still ten?" asked Mandy.

Lisa blushed a bit. "Yes."

Anna poked at her food thoughtfully. "Your birthday will be easy to remember. Mine's the 15th as well, but of July."

Padma and Mandy exchanged a look. Ophelia stopped chewing to look up at Anna, and raised her eyebrows. "That is odd."

"Odd? No, that's positively freakish!" added Padma.

"What's freakish?" Anna frowned, her fork half-way to her mouth.

Padma took a deep breath. "That means we're all quindecim babies."

"Quindecim?"

"Yes, it's Latin for fifteen," chimed in Ophelia.

"My parents always told Padma and I we were lucky to be born on the 15th. It's a lucky day. Then, when Mandy and I were little, we formed this silly club – called it the Quindecimdia club. Because she's born on the 15th too, but of June."

"A month before me," whispered Anna.

"And," added Mandy, "Ophelia joined us later." She wrinkled her brow as she thought of something. "Felia, your birthday just passed. I can't believe I forgot! Why didn't you say something?"

Ophelia shrugged, and gave a slight smile, but Anna could tell she was pleased that someone had finally remembered.

"So," said Padma, in a hushed tone, "I'm April 15th, you're June 15th," as she pointed at Mandy.

"I'm July 15th, whispered Anna, "Ophelia is September 15th, and Lisa is…"

"October 15th," she finished for her. Lisa's eyes looked bigger than ever. "Wow," she murmured. She shivered slightly. "Goosebumps!"

Anna's eyes were shining. "What did you say you called this club?"

"Quindecimdei. Muddled Latin for fifteenth day."

"What did you do?" asked Anna.

"Well," shrugged Padma, "nothing really. Just played games, and pretended to hold secret meetings… that sort of kid stuff."

Ophelia stared at her, mouth open. "Certainly you haven't forgotten all the books we read, and the things we imagined?"

Once again Padma shrugged. "Well, I do, that just seems like too long ago for it to make much of a difference now."

"But it was wonderful," murmured Mandy, "remember how we used to pretend to be Aurors? How we went after the Rat Pack?"

Lisa looked very confused. "The what?" she asked. "And what are 'Aurors'?"

"Aurors fight dark Wizards. There were a lot of them back when… well, when You-Know-Who was in power," explained Padma. "And the Rat Pack was just something we made up – kind of like evil Jarveys – except they were more rat-like, and their leader had a single red eye in the middle of his forehead."

"See," laughed Mandy, nudging her, "you do remember." Padma blushed slightly, not a mean feat due to her dark complexion. 

"Anyway, why did you want to know?"

"Because – I think we should start it up again."

"Oh!" cried Lisa. "That's a wonderful idea!"

"But what would we do?" asked Padma. "We're too old for make-believe now."

"You're never too old for make-believe," admonished Anna, "and besides, there are plenty of adventures to be had at Hogwarts!"

Mandy nodded. "True, true…"

Lisa smiled. "I've never been in a secret society before, but I imagine it would be quite fun. Besides, I feel we should do something. I mean, there has to be a reason we're all grouped together in Ravenclaw, sharing the same birthday. It must be destiny… or something!"

The others nodded, leaning in with a conspiratorial manner. 

"I say we hold our first meeting tomorrow at Midnight," said Mandy. "In honor of Lisa's birthday."

"Yes, and hold meetings on the 15th of each month we're here. That way we can celebrate too, with presents, and food, and such."

The Ravenclaw girls waited until the common room had cleared out to go to bed. They were much quieter than usual, noted Penelope Clearwater. Usually those five were huddled in a group around the fireplace, laughing at jokes, or checking their homework together. But tonight, Padma and Ophelia were playing a silent game of chess, Mandy was doing her charms homework, and Anna and Lisa were each curled up with a book. 

"Goodnight girls. Get some sleep soon," she called as she headed up the staircase to her dorm. A chorus of good-nights followed her. Penelope shook her head. They were quite lucky to have all become such good friends. 

Mandy glanced up from her homework, and Anna from her book as Penelope went upstairs. Padma and Ophelia quickly returned their chess pieces to their boxes. The girls had decided that it just wouldn't be right to hold the first meeting of the new Quindecimdia club in their own room. Mandy brought several candles from her bag, and tapped each wick. "Incendio!" The candles sputtered to life. Mandy set them in a circle. 

Ophelia brought out a notebook. "I'm taking the minutes," she whispered in a hushed tone.

"No you're not!" hissed Padma. "This is a secret club, and we want it to stay that way."

"That's okay," said Mandy. "I just read about a good locking charm. No one will be able to break in without the password."

"Excellent," murmured Ophelia, producing a quill from her bag. "So – shall we begin? Lisa, it's your birthday – you do the honor."

Lisa grinned at her across the flickering circle, but quickly straightened her face. "I hereby call the first meeting of the new Quindecimdei Club into order. First item on the agenda – my birthday!" Anna quickly smothered a giggle.

"Right," added Padma. "I move that it is time for food. I'm starved."

"You just ate!" said Lisa, amazed.

Padma brought a cake from out of her bag. Lisa's eyes grew wide. "Where on earth did you get that?"

Padma just grinned. "Felia has connections, whether she admits it or not. We got Juliette to show us where the kitchen is located." 

The girls all helped themselves to a slice of cake. "Proceeding onward…" said Mandy, mouth full of cake, "… presents!" She brought out a small wrapped parcel from behind her back. 

"Oh, thank you!" gasped Lisa. "I really wasn't expecting anything.."

"Open it before you thank me," added Mandy, raising an eyebrow. Lisa regarded the present suspiciously. "And… one for Ophelia also, since we didn't celebrate her birthday."

Ophelia was clearly surprised. "For me?"

"No, silly, for the other Ophelia sitting here." Ophelia smiled a bit as she took the gift, unwrapping it neatly. Mandy had bought both girls lovely quills, and two bottles of color change ink apiece. Ophelia's were shades of blue and silver, and Lisa's were violet and pink. 

Next, Padma gave out her gifts. Each girl received an assortment of candy – chocolate frogs, Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum… all in a velvet pouch. Anna was next. Both girls oohed and aahed in delight as they unwrapped the little boxes Anna had made for them, covered in little moving pictures cut from a wizarding magazine Anna had bought at Flourish and Blotts. Little fairies and unicorns pranced across the surface. "Wow Anna – thanks!" Lisa reached over to hug her. Ophelia was engrossed watching a princess waltz across the top of her box. She managed to pull herself away, and handed Lisa her present. It was a beautifully bound copy of Lydia Trendille. Lisa thanked her profusely. Anna knew she'd been wanting a copy ever since she had borrowed hers.

Once she had recovered from her birthday euphoria, Lisa spoke. "Well," she said, glancing about the circle, "I wanted to make everyone something for the inaugural meeting of Quindecimdei." She raised a hand to the chorus of _'Oh, Lisa, you shouldn't have.'_ "I wanted to," she said firmly, "and if you don't like them, I'll take them back." She took a deep breath, seeming quite satisfied with herself. "Now – hold out your hands and close your eyes."

"This had better not be a joke," said Mandy as she shut hers.

"No, that would be you dear," Padma commented. They all giggled. Anna felt something small and cold drop into her hand, something on a string. A moment later, Lisa said, "You can open your eyes now." Anna looked down at her palm curiously. 

Sitting there was a tiny pendant, on a green cord. It seemed to be made of glass, and was in the shape of a diamond, elongated on the end with the string. There was something scratched into the surface, a shape Anna couldn't quite make out in the candle light.

"Wow," murmured Mandy. "How did you make these?"

"I looked up a glass-cutting charm," said Lisa.

"It's lovely," said Ophelia, slipping hers on over her head. Hers was the same as Anna's, but with a blue cord. She noted that Lisa was wearing one herself, but with a purple cord.

"Go ahead," she prompted the others. "Put yours on." They complied. 

"Now…Padma, you're the eldest. Hold yours out. Yes, like so. Alright, now Mandy, lean in, and put yours next to Padma's. Now you Anna."

Anna wondered where this was going. Ophelia was told to add hers, and finally, Lisa filled in the last gap. "See?"

Anna let out a tiny gasp. The five pendants placed together had formed a perfect crystal star. And in the center, Anna could finally make out the shape. XV

"Oh, Lisa," Ophelia whispered in awe, "it's perfect!"

Lisa smiled. "Thanks. I wanted something we could all share." She took her pendant out of the circle. "Now, we should do this properly. In order to really be a secret society, we should be sisters. Blood sisters."

"You mean?"

Lisa nodded, holding out her finger. She took the end of her pendant, and used it to prick her finger. She cradled it in her other hand, squeezing the tip gently. Anna took hers, and gently poked it with the sharp end. A drop of blood appeared, shining in the candle light. She looked up. Mandy looked as if she was going to be sick.

"I don't think I've ever told you this, but the sight of blood makes me feel ill."

"Oh, give me your finger," said Padma impatiently. She grabbed Mandy's necklace with her other hand, and jabbed Mandy's finger before she even knew what was happening.

"Eee!" Mandy squeaked.

"Quiet!" shushed Ophelia. "You'll wake everybody up."

Anna and Lisa pressed their fingers together. Solemnly, they each repeated the rite with the others in the circle. "This way, no matter where we go, or what we do, we take a little bit of the others with us. Even if we perish, we shall live on in one other," Lisa whispered.

Anna shivered. Perhaps it was the flickering quality of the candlelight, or the solemnity with which Lisa had spoken, but her last statement had been so deliciously morbid. Anna found herself wondering if her own mother had had friends such as these at Hogwarts – friends in whom she lived on, both in blood and spirit. Sisters… Anna now had her own group of sisters, girls she was bound to by a blood promise.

Her glorious thoughts were interrupted by the sound of soft footsteps coming down the stairs of the girls dormitories. Mandy hurriedly extinguished the candles. The girls sat there in the dark for a moment, listening intently.

Penelope poked her head out of the doorway, and rubbed her bleary eyes. She held up her lit wand to illuminate the source of the noise. "What are you still doing up?" she asked peevishly. "I told you to go to bed an hour ago."

The girls grabbed their bags, and obediently followed her up the stairs. As soon as they were in their own room, with the door firmly closed, Mandy grumbled, "we've got to find some place to have these meetings where Penelope won't find us."

Anna sighed. "She's nice enough, she just doesn't understand. She's never been in a secret society before, I'm sure." She pulled the sheets up, disturbing Greymalkin from his slumber.

"Except of course the Percy Weasley Fan Club," yawned Mandy. The other giggled. "Well, goodnight. It was fun while it lasted."

"Here, here," Padma said, her voice muffled through her drawn curtains.

"Sweet dreams everyone," Lisa murmured.

It was not until they had all fallen off into the beginnings of dreams that Anna rolled over and whispered, "Happy birthday Lisa."

"Even if we perish, we shall live on in one other"? Yes, dear Lisa is a bit melodramatic. But I still love her! Wow – thanks for all the reviews last time. I love it when people seem to enjoy my story, because I've enjoyed it for so long without telling anyone, and sharing it is great! I really hope this won't be my last segment before I leave for the summer – though with finals coming up, I suspect it will. In any case – please don't forget about me!


	11. Ghosts and Games

"Nah

Ghosts and Games

Chapter XI

"Padma, please eat something," Anna begged.

The girls were on their lunch break – but Padma wasn't touching any of the food laid out before her. "Nah. The Hallowe'en feast is tonight, and I don't want to be full before then."

Anna just shook her head, and served herself a sandwich off the platter.

It was Hallowe'en already. The weeks after the first Quindecimdei meeting seemed to have flown by. The girls wore their necklaces religiously, and refused to answer any questions about them. Roger seemed to enjoy bugging Anna about hers, and she had fun refusing to tell him why the five girls all wore the pendants. On the other hand, she felt bad for changing the topic when Susan Bones had asked about the necklace one day during potions. Susan was a very sweet girl, and Anna felt bad for not including her. But some things just couldn't be shared by outsiders.

Classes seemed to go by quickly that day. Everyone was talking about the feast, and how wonderful Hogwarts feasts always were. Anna and the others left the Ravenclaw dorm as soon as they put away their books, and headed down to the Great Hall early.

Anna was very impressed. Upon entering, the girls looked up at the ceiling. An almost full moon, half-covered by rolling clouds, shone down on them. Thousands of bats flitted about, hovering in great clouds. To add to the atmosphere, the room was bathed in a flickering light emitted from the Jack o' Lanterns that sat in rows down the middle of each table.

The girls seated themselves at their usual places, still gazing around. Anna shivered in delight at the spookiness of it all. She had always been the one to hand out candy to Trick-or-Treaters at the Snydley-Pinkenweiler's house, and when no one had been watching, she'd managed to sneak a few pieces into her pockets for her and Linnea to share later. A sudden wave of guilt fell over Anna. What was Linnea doing now? Was she handing out candy, or trying to help Alice into her princess costume?

The Great Hall was starting to fill up now, and Dumbledore was seated at the Head Table. A few minutes more, and everyone seemed to have arrived. The students looked down at their golden plates expectantly. Finally, the food appeared, looking even more delicious than usual. Anna was just helping herself to some roast beef when a sudden commotion caused her to look up.

Professor Quirrell ran up to the Head Table, out of breath. He managed to gasp out "Troll – in the dungeons – thought you ought to know." Then he fainted dead away.

There was great pandemonium for several moments – Penelope tried in vain to get the Ravenclaws to quiet down. "A troll?" gasped Lisa. "Really?!"

"Yes, horrible things. I've never actually seen one, but I hear they smell awful!" replied Mandy. Just then, Dumbledore sent a spray of purple firecrackers into the air. The hall grew quiet at once.

"Prefects, lead your Houses back to the dormitories immediately!" 

Penelope was quite pale, but she managed to clap her hands and speak up over the growing din. "Alright now, stay together. First years, right up here! Hello girls. Boot! Where's Boot? Ah, there you are. Stick together now. Everyone follow me – AND STAY IN A GROUP!" She led them through a crowd of Slytherins, out to the main entrance. They marched up the great staircase. 

"D'you think this is a prank?" asked Anna.

Padma shook her head. "No. I haven't seen Dumbledore look like that before, have you? I mean – he was in control of the situation. He almost looked – frightening, I guess. If I were that troll, I'd be afraid."

"Well," said Ophelia, "you know he can't be all fun and games. After all, he did defeat the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945..." 

"Rostrum Corvus," Penelope said in a shaky voice. The armor stepped aside, and the Ravenclaws entered the revolving bookcase. Penelope turned. "Now everyone, please. I know it's crowded, but please, stay down here instead of going up to your dormitories just yet." There was a collective groan.

"I think she's right," stated Lisa. "Who knows where that creature could be." She shuddered at the thought.

Padma rolled her eyes. "There _is_ a password. And anyway, trolls don't speak English."

"What do they speak then?" asked Anna.

"Troll," replied Mandy. Anna suspected she was teasing her, but just then, Flitwick entered. Anna and Padma stood on the chair behind them to see the tiny professor over the heads of the other Ravenclaws.

"There's no need to be frightened," squeaked the Professor. "The professors are searching the castle as we speak. In fact, I have to go join them. Please stay in the dormitory, food will be sent up shortly." With this, he turned and left.

There was another outburst of conversation. "But how could the troll have gotten in?" asked a trembling third year.

"Someone must've let him in," added another student.

"Yeah, probably Snape," muttered Roger, who was standing close by.

"Honestly," cried Ophelia, "it wasn't a teacher! Snape may be unpleasant, but he has no reason to release a troll in the dungeons."

"Yeah, but it was in the dungeons, wasn't it?" Padma shot back.

"No, it was probably Peeves's brilliant idea of a Hallowe'en joke," said Mandy. "Who else would want a troll in the castle? All they do is create mayhem, and that's Peeves's favorite thing."

The argument was interrupted by the sudden appearance of food. Part of the feast from the Great Hall had just been magicked up, and people scuttled about, trying to grab plates.

"About time," said Padma crossly. "I haven't eaten all day."

"I told you to eat something at lunch," berated Anna.

"Oh, stop it you two," said Lisa. "Let's just eat. I'm starving as well!"

Padma gave Anna a look, as if to say _See_? The girls all helped themselves to the food and took their usual place on the rug in front of the fire.

"So trolls are real," mused Anna, once they had all finished their dinners, and were sitting, stuffed and warm, in front of the fire.

"Er… yeah," Padma frowned. "But I guess the Ministry does a good job of hiding them."

"So what else exists out there that I don't know about?"

"Well, you've got the usual – fairies, dragons, trolls, werewolves, vampires, leprechauns, merpeople, gnomes, centaurs, unicorns – "

"Unicorns?" asked Lisa, perking up. She had been about to fall asleep right there on the rug.

"Yeah. I reckon some live in the Forbidden Forest."

Ophelia cut in. "Julie told me about the time Professor Kettleburn managed to get a couple for the care of magical creatures class. She said they were the most beautiful creatures she'd ever encountered – brilliant white."

"I wouldn't mind meeting a unicorn," mused Anna.

"Oh, but they're horrendously shy. They tend to stay away from people. Luckily, they do prefer girls."

Mandy laughed. "Smart animals."

"'Animal' doesn't seem like the right kind of word to describe a unicorn though, does it?" she asked after a short pause. The others agreed. 

"'Mythical creature' just has a nicer ring to it," Anna decided.

The girls lazed about for awhile more before heading upstairs for bed. Once away from the fire, however, they found that they were not at all tired. Lisa sat there, scribbling in her journal. Ophelia was fooling around with her violin, but not actually playing any certain song – just hopping from one bit of music to the next. Anna picked up one of the new books that Ophelia had lent her, but she just didn't feel like reading at the moment. She set the book face down on her covers with a loud sigh. The others looked up.

"It's Hallowe'en," Anna said, "don't you feel like we should be doing something… spooky?"

Lisa giggled nervously. "I was thinking the same thing. But what can we do? I'd suggest telling ghost stories, but that wouldn't seem very creepy after meeting some face to face."

"Well…" Mandy slid down onto the rug in the center of the floor, "…we could tell _real_ ghost stories."

"What do you mean?" asked Anna.

"Like the stories behind ghosts. Everyone knows that you only become a ghost if you had something that you were dissatisfied with in your life." Lisa began to say something, but Mandy cut in, "Well, at least you should know. But anyway, most ghosts have a reason for haunting the castle."

"What about the Grey Lady?" asked Padma, sitting down beside Mandy. The others joined them on the circular rug.

"I've heard her name is Jane," said Mandy in a low voice, "and that she was a lady in the court of James the V. She was burned at the stake when the King named her in an assassination attempt."

"But how could she be a witch if she was burned at the stake? Everyone knows that real witches just did a basic flame-freezing charm, and then disappated away. And she wouldn't be at Hogwarts if she wasn't a witch," said Padma skeptically.

"Oh, right."

"Actually, I heard she was spurned by a lover, and that she threw herself to her death," said Padma.

Mandy made a face. "I doubt any self respecting Ravenclaw would admit to doing that."

"Well, she couldn't very well help people knowing, could she? I mean, you throw yourself from a castle wall, and then hang around – of course people are going to talk!"

"I heard the story that she was in love with an Earl," began Ophelia in a hushed tone. "But she suspected that he was going to marry another, and when he was driving away to visit the other lady, she ran out to his carriage, and grabbed hold of the wheel, and yelled, 'You shan't go, and I tell you this- if you marry any woman but me, I shall come between you to the end of your days!' And he motioned for the driver to keep on going, and he ran her right over. And for the rest of his life, he never stopped hearing her scream as the wheel rolled over her skull.

Anyway, he eventually did go out and marry, but as he was coming home with his new wife, the figure of the Grey Lady ran out in front of the carriage, with blood streaming from her forehead. She haunted the house terribly, throwing things, an slamming doors, until the Wizard's Council of the day forced her to relocate." Ophelia finished her tale with a rather triumphant look on her face.

"Wow…" whispered Anna. "But then, why isn't she bloody anymore, like the Bloody Baron?"

"And why does she seem so polite now?" asked Lisa.

Ophelia shrugged. "I don't know, I just read it somewhere. I believe I read in another book that her name is actually Mary, and her husband ran away with her own sister – Henrietta. She was left all alone in the castle owned by her husband, the Duke of Chillingham, with only their child for company. When the child went away to Hogwarts, she died of loneliness and grief, and returned here to watch over the generations of Chillingham's who attended for years afterwards."

"Chillingham – what a wonderful name! I think we should ask her about that one," said Padma.

"You wouldn't dare!" the others gasped.

"Besides, it's really none of our business, is it? I mean, if any of these stories are true, d'you really think she'd want to share them?" admonished Mandy.

"At least they're all dreadfully romantic," sighed Lisa.

"There's always the legend that she was in love with the most powerful wizard of her age – and that she was a beautiful enchantress. He was desperately in love with her as well, but when the wicked Baron she was engaged to found out, he challenged the powerful wizard to a duel. He cheated though, and had his henchmen murder the wizard. When the Grey Lady saw her fiancée coming home, burning his torches bright, instead of her lover, she threw herself into the castle moat and drowned." Anna finished the story in a dramatic whisper.

There was a pause. Then… "really?"

"No, not really. I just thought it sounded good."

The girls burst out into fits of giggles. It was not until several hours later that the girls dimmed the candles and went to bed.

Perhaps they had stayed up a bit too late talking about ghosts, for they all slept uneasily. Anna especially tossed and turned all night long, awaking from a dream almost every hour. But each time she woke, she couldn't remember a thing about them. Only a feeling – a vague, restless desire – that troubled her deeply. She would fall asleep after lying in her bed, staring at the blue drapes for quite some time, only to awake minutes later. At seven o' clock, she finally dozed off.

_She was wandering around the cottage again – a small house with a neat front lawn. The dream was the same as it had always been, but this time it seemed much clearer. The colors that had blurred and faded at the edges were now crisp and clear. Anna walked around the side of the cottage. She could smell the garden behind the house, a comforting smell – of roses and lily-of-the-valley, and lavender. The cherry blossoms fell through the air like snow from the tree at the corner of the house.The white petals fell in Anna's hair, and in her outstretched hands. The lovely voice still drifted from the direction of the garden. Anna found that her legs were working properly, and was amazed. She took a few tentative steps forward, then turned the corner, and peered over the garden wall. On the other side, below the cherry tree, there was a low stone bench. And sitting there was the owner of the voice. Anna gasped, and the singer looked up, her voice stopped mid-note. But then, she smiled. _

_She seemed familiar, like an old friend that Anna had long ago forgotten – a girl in her early twenties. She had raven-black hair that fell in shining waves down her back, and pale unfreckled skin. How Anna wished she could look like that. But it was the ladies eyes that caught Anna's attention – green, sloping downward, with long lashes. Anna's eyes. Anna opened her mouth._

_"Mother?"_

Anna sat up in bed, wide awake. She blinked several times, making sure the apparition wasn't there. Had it been…? Anna had never seen a picture of her mother, and had no recollection of her, but somehow, she just knew. Was it possible? Anna glanced at the clock on Lisa's nightstand. It was 7:39.

Anna scrambled out of bed, and dressed in a hurry. She had to ask Witt, she had to know what her mother had looked like. Anna scribbled a quick note…

Dear Witt,

I'm doing fine, but I was just wondering if you had a picture of my mother by any chance. Just thought it might be nice to have one for my bedside table.

Love,

Anna

Of course she couldn't tell her about the dream. Witt might worry about her health, or even her sanity. She threw on a cloak and ran up to the owlery. She had to shake one of the birds awake after a long night of hunting. It glared at her blearily as she tied the letter to it's leg. She coaxed it onto her arm, and threw it up and out the window. The bird soared across the early morning sky. Anna watched it until it was a speck in the distance, then returned to the Ravenclaw dorm. The others were just waking up. Lisa yawned and stretched, dark circles showing under her eyes from the late chat of the night before.

"Urg… it's just DADA today. We could miss it," Mandy moaned, collapsing back into bed.

But of course, the girls went. Professor Quirrell seemed especially shaken by the events of the previous night, and told the students that the hour after lunch would be cancelled. Anna was quite happy to have that time to catch up on some much needed sleep. During the daylight hours, she felt relatively safe from the everlasting dreams that had started to plague her sleep in the night.

In fact, over the next few days, Anna needed many daytime naps. Her sleep was becoming increasingly interrupted by the dream of her mother. Each time she would awake, remembering the details more and more clearly. She could now hum the song her mother had sung, could sketch the outfit she had been wearing. This led to trouble in potions, where Snape (who was in an especially nasty mood this week) took the scrap piece of parchment she had been doodling on and set it on fire with his wand. He gingerly held it between his fingertips as it turned to ash and fell into the dustbin. Anna wasn't sure which hurt more – this, or the five points taken from Ravenclaw for being such an 'insolent daydreamer'. Anna was cheered up slightly when Padma vowed to make Snape pay. But the real distraction came in the form of the end of the week quidditch game – Gryffindor versus Slytherin. The entire school was abuzz at Saturday breakfast.

It was a cold morning, but the sun was shining brightly as the students made their way across the grounds to the Quidditch pitch. Padma had made a point to wear a red ribbon in her long hair, and had persuaded Ophelia and Anna to do the same. The Ravenclaw girls would be cheering for Gryffindor, partially because of the Patil and Fawcett family connections, but mainly just to oppose Pansy Parkinson and the rest of Slytherin. 

"Wow. This is certainly a big deal," commented Lisa.

"Of course it is! Now hurry up there – I want to get decent seats!" replied Mandy, skipping impatiently ahead.

They entered the stadium, glancing around for familiar faces. Anna spotted Roger sitting up high with his Quidditch friends, and pointed them out to the others. The girls climbed up, and up the bleachers. Just when Anna didn't think her aching legs would take her another step, they reached the top.

"Hullo there," said Roger. "How are the famous five doing?"

"The infamous five, you mean," Mandy giggled. It was true, the girl had quite a reputation for being the closest group of Ravenclaws in quite some time. You never saw one alone, they were always in groups of two or threes, or all together.

Roger nodded. "Well, it looks like it'll be interesting, that's for sure. You did hear that Potter's playing seeker?"

The girls nodded. It was supposed to be a big secret, so naturally, the entire school had heard the news. The girls had gotten it from Padma's twin sister, Parvati, who had overheard Hermione Granger muttering darkly about rule breaking and broomsticks. Apparently Harry Potter had stood up to Draco Malfoy when Draco had stolen something belonging to a Neville Longbottom. Parvati had told them about the fantastic mid-air duel, and how Harry Potter had caught the falling object – and had been promptly taken away by a furious Professor McGonagall. Then had come the package – a long, thin package, brought in by the owls that morning. Anna had wondered what it had been, and according to Parvati, the parcel contained a broom – a very good one at that. The girls were all quite happy about this. Anyone who stood up to Draco Malfoy deserved a medal of honor in their books

The murmurs of the crowd rose to cheers as the teams walked onto the pitch. They met at the center of the field, where Madam Hooch was standing with a box under her arm, and a broom in her hand. She spoke to them briefly, then shouted out, so that everyone could hear,

"Mount your brooms please." Then, with a sharp tweet of her whistle, they were off. The commentary started, but Anna listened instead to the talking going on around her.

"Oh! There goes Angelina," breathed Ophelia. "I can't believe she enjoys this so much… oh, nice catch Alicia! Julie's been working with her, you know." Just then, Mandy and Lisa laughed. Anna turned to them. 

"What happened?"

"Didn't you hear Lee Jordan?" Mandy asked. She put on a face. "'What an excellent chaser that girl is – and rather attractive too!' Poor Angelina – I reckon he fancies her!"

They turned back to the game to see a Gryffindor player take the red ball. Anna's head was swimming with terms like 'quaffle', 'keeper' and 'chaser'. "So what's happening? Explain again please?"

Padma let out an agitated sigh. "I tried this morning, Anna. Don't you remember?"

"I'm a visual learner," retorted Anna. "I need to see what's happening to remember all the terms. What's the Quaffle again?"

See could see Roger try to hide a grin. Cho Chang, who was sitting directly behind them, saw this as well, and rolled her eyes. "The Quaffle is the red ball that the chasers throw. The three girls in red are the chasers for Gryffindor. Got that?" Anna nodded.

"Okay. So, their job is to put the Quaffle past the keeper, who's guarding the goals. If they score, they get ten points."

"But then what does the seeker do?" asked Anna, quite confused. 

"The seeker needs to catch the snitch," replied Cho, quite patiently. "That's my position, when I can play. The team who's seeker catches the snitch is awarded 150 points."

"So the seeker is really important?"

"Very."

"So… those three are the chasers… that's the seeker… that's the keeper… so what do the Weasleys do?"

"They're the beaters – called that for the bats in their hands. Those balls they keep deflecting are called bludgers. Make the game a little more exciting."

"More dangerous, you mean," murmured Ophelia. Anna glanced over. Ophelia was watching between her fingertips. Anna laughed.

"I would hate to see you at a game where Juliette was playing."

"Thank goodness she's not. This year would have been pure torture."

There was a collective groan from the crowd. "What happened?" asked Anna glancing at the field.

"If you'd watch instead of talk, you'd know," said Padma. "Flint just blocked Potter – nearly knocked him off his broom. And it looked as if he had spotted the snitch as well!"

Gryffindor was awarded a penalty. The Ravenclaws cheered loudly as Alicia Spinnet put the Quaffle neatly through a goal. "Your sister must be a pretty good teacher," remarked Anna to Ophelia.

Flint, the Slytherin captain, managed to get hit in the face by a bludger, but still scored. The Ravenclaws groaned. Just then, Lisa cried out - 

"Look at Harry Potter!"

Everyone within hearing range glanced up. Indeed, something was happening to the Gryffindor seeker. His broom kept carrying him higher and higher, twitching and bucking as he went.

"What's he doing?" gasped Anna.

"I don't know," frowned Roger, "but it doesn't look good – almost as if his broom were jinxed or something."

The crowd watched, some shouting up at Potter, others sitting in their seats holding their breath. Ophelia buried her head in her hands. "I can't watch," she mumbled. "If I do, I'll never get on a another broom as long as I live."

Anna thought this was a wise idea, as Potter's broom seemed to be carrying him up further and further, shaking and jerking. It gave a sudden jolt, and he was thrown off. Anna gasped, and covered her eyes. When she opened them, he was still managing to hang on, by a hand. The Weasley twins were trying to pull him onto their brooms, but Harry's broom just kept lurching higher and higher. "Can't they make it stop?" whispered a frantic Lisa. "He could get hurt!" Anna glanced at her friends. Even Padma looked paler than usual. The Weasley twins had dropped back down, and were now circling around underneath, in case he fell, Anna supposed. Beside her, Mandy was chewing her nails. 

Then – Harry Potter's broom stopped bucking, and he was able to get back on. There was a collective sigh of relief as he sped toward the ground. Suddenly he clasped his hands over his mouth. Padma looked away.

"Urg… I suppose he's going to be sick."

"No he isn't – _he caught the snitch!"_

Roger proved to be right, as Harry jumped to his feet, crying, "I've got the snitch!" The crowd broke out in utter pandemonium. Mandy jumped to her feet, and was screaming as she applauded. Lisa and Ophelia (who had been holding each others hands tightly) started jumping up and down. Padma started yelling, "That's right Flint! You lost you big hairy troll!" She let out a wonderful cackle. 

Anna was quite relieved it was over. She turned to Roger. "And you really think this sport is worth all the danger involved?"

He just grinned. "It's not usually quite like that," he said, then turned to celebrate with his friends. 

Cho Chang stepped down from her seat, so she was level with the others. "It really isn't that bad – usually. In your typical game, the most dangerous things are the bludgers." Anna noticed she unconsciously rubbed her right elbow as she said this.

"Oh… is that how you…?"

Cho's eyes flitted from the pitch to Anna. "Oh! Yes, it'll take awhile to convince my parents to let me play again. I do miss it so much." She got that far away look in her eyes again, and Anna decided to head off with the others to celebrate. It had been a long two weeks, and Anna felt she deserved a bit of a party.


	12. Aurora

Aurora

Hello, everybody, I'm back!

I'm very, very sorry it has taken me so long to upload this next chapter (four months!) and I'm a bit afraid everyone will have forgotten about me and my little story. But I do have an excuse for this past month's absence- due to the tragedy on September 11th, my school still doesn't have internet access (their service provider was closed, being on West Street), and is not certain when it will be up. But I have finished a new story about the life of Rowena Ravenclaw (please read it!) and several chapters of Anna. So, without further ado…

Aurora

A week had passed since the quidditch match. 

It was a blustery Sunday, and the Ravenclaw girls had nothing better to do than sit around in their room. They were all rather quiet, except for the occasional giggle or exclamation from Anna and Lisa. The two girls were sitting on Lisa's bed, cross-legged, cats in their laps. Isis and Greymalkin had been much better about not fighting the past few weeks, a relief to Anna. Greymalkin was much smaller then the Siamese, and she was afraid Isis would rip out all of his soft grey fur by the Christmas holiday. They were bent over a large book that Lisa had asked her father to send via owl post. It had come carried by three rather worn-out looking birds. The book was very heavy, Anna marveled as she had carried it half-way from the owlery. Lisa had reminded her that it held an entire history of art in it's pages, from Stonehenge, to the late twentieth century.

"Oh," gasped Anna, "look at that one! It's beautiful"

Lisa smiled. "I knew you'd like her. That's the Lady of Shalott. I think she looks like you."

"Goodness, no," Anna replied. "She's so elegant, and winsome looking. Besides, look at that dress! I'd die for a dress like that."

Lisa nodded in agreement. She flipped past a few pages. "Look at this one."

"That looks like Ophelia!"

"See the title? It's from _Hamlet_." 

Anna read the title aloud and laughed. "That's perfect! You must show that to her." She tilted her head and squinted. "Of course, Ophelia's a bit prettier, and her hair is even lighter…"

Lisa laughed. "But the Lady of Shalott is prettier than you?"

"Definitely."

Lisa knew all about the paintings, in fact, she had seen many of them. Her father took her to the national gallery quite often. And once, for Lisa's tenth birthday, they had taken a boat over to France, and been to the Louvre in Paris. Anna sighed with envy as Lisa told her about places Anna had only read about – Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the palace of Versailles. "You're so lucky," she said yet again, "being able to travel like that."

Lisa just grinned. "I know. I can't wait until we get our Apparation licenses. Then we'll be able to go where ever we please! I'm already reading up on it. I'd love to pass on my first try – though it sounds very difficult. But with enough practice and research…"

Mandy glanced over the top of her book and groaned. "Oh Lisa! We have enough to do already. And apparition tests aren't taken until after _seventh_ year."

Lisa blushed a bit but responded. "Yes, but in the States, you can take the test at sixteen, and in Denmark and Russia, you can take it at seventeen. Besides," she said in a no-nonsense tone, "it's _never_ too early to begin learning."

Mandy just rolled her eyes. "Pure Ravenclaw talking there."

Lisa looked rather proud.

The week was fairly uneventful. They were getting to elemental charms in Flitwick's class, which was quite exciting. Though Anna was still having trouble producing a decent flame, controlling water seemed to come naturally to her. The tiny Professor even used her as an example.

"Perfect, Miss Moon," he squeaked, clapped his hands together. "Now pay attention, class. Especially you, Miss Patil." Padma was experiencing just the opposite of Anna's problem. Her flame was text book perfect, but she couldn't move the water from the one bowl to the other. They all trudged down to dinner wearing soggy robes.

Anna went to bed fairly early that night, as she had finished her Potions essay the weekend before. After a while of tossing and turning, she fell into a pleasant sleep.

_…She was running through a field filled with lavender, attempting to keep up with something that was glowing dazzling silver. She chased it to the edge of a dark wood that looked strangely familiar. As she entered the woods… _

Anna awoke. She had a funny feeling that she'd dreamt this same dream before, like the repeating dream of her mother. Perhaps the two were related. Anna crawled out of her bed and, pulling the heavy blue curtains aside, she slipped her bare feet out onto the cold floor. The moonbeams streamed in through the open window, casting a strange silver glow over the familiar room. Anna shivered as she walked over to close the window against the cool November breeze. She heard Padma give a sigh, and roll over in her own cozy bed.Anna reached her hand up to shut the window, and stopped, her breath drawn at the sight below. 

Standing down at the edge of the lake, reflected in the water, was a brilliant white creature with a single golden horn. Anna's hand slipped from the sash, and the unicorn raised its head, as if it could hear her movements, all the way up in the tower. It looked up at Anna, but didn't move. The two stared at each other for the longest time, neither one wanting to move a muscle. Finally, the unicorn turned and trotted slowly away, in the direction of the Forbidden Forest. It stopped, turned, and looked again at Anna; as if beckoning her to come join it. "Don't move," Anna breathed. She grabbed her thin robe, and raced down the tower stairs.

The common room was silent as Anna rushed to the revolving bookcase. As she entered into the empty hall she looked both ways. There was no sign of the usual suspects; even Mrs. Norris must have ceased her prowling for a catnap this clear, starry night. Anna continued through the deserted corridors, 'till she reached the Great Hall. As silently as she was able, Anna pushed the giant doors. They swung open gently, revealing the green lawn and dark lake in front of the castle, all bathed in the mysterious glow of a nearly full moon on a cloudless night. 

Anna scanned the surrounding area, looking for a flash of the ghostly white. It was no where to be seen. Anna shivered, and clutched her robe together tightly. It was colder here in November than what she was accustomed to. She stood there for several minutes, waiting to see if the unicorn would reappear. A soft noise, like a creature pawing at dry leaves, made her turn around.

The unicorn was waiting in the shadows at the edge of the forest. Anna breath caught in her chest once more. She slowly approached the creature, watching it's dark eyes flicker. She stuck her hand out, offering it to the unicorn, who bent over and sniffed it. The soft nose felt like velvet in the palm of her cold hand. Anna cautiously lifted her other hand and began stroking the unicorn's silky mane.It's eyes gazed up into hers. It lifted its head, and sauntered off into the shade of the trees. Anna followed it. The glow it gave off provided enough light to let her see the roots and plants in her way. After what seemed like an eternity, Anna's feet began to hurt from stepping on the uneven forest floor. She was now shivering, and wishing she had taken the time to put on her cloak and a pair of shoes. She let out a gasp of pain as she stepped on a briar. The unicorn looked behind, considered her for a minute. Then, it sauntered over and kneeled down, as if offering it's back to her. For a moment, Anna hesitated.

She patted the unicorn gently, uncertain if it would let her ride. And if it would, did she want to? Anna had never ridden a horse before, even though Charles and Alice had once had a circus pony at their birthday party. The unicorn made a harrumphing noise, and Anna made up her mind. She carefully climbed on. The unicorn stood and began to walk, then gallop, through the trees. The wind blew back Anna's hair and she laughed. This was even better than flying! She clung to the unicorn's neck until it came to an abrupt stop.They had paused at the edge of a clearing. The trees had parted to reveal a stream, bathed silver in the moonlight. Pale white figures floated by the edge of the water like ghosts. Anna gasped as she realized the shapes were other unicorns.Young silver ones, majestic white ones, even tiny golden babies with no horns. 

"How wonderful," Anna exclaimed in breathless delight. They sauntered slowly along the babbling brook, Anna clinging to the unicorns back. As they passed by the other animals, several raised their heads to the cold breeze, as if they could sense the human disturbance in their presence. As Anna's unicorn trotted along, the others parted silently to let it by. The noise of the rushing stream grew as they continued on; Anna was quite curious as to why this was. As if to answer her question, the unicorn turned round a sharp bend and stopped. Anna gasped at the sight before her. This must be the source of the stream. Far above her, water ran down the face of a cliff covered in ivy. It trickled slowly toward the top, then gained force as the tiny streams joined together, bouncing over rock ledges. At the bottom, mist rose from the powerful jet of water that met the stream. Anna clutched at the collar of her pajama top, speechless with wonder. The unicorn seemed to sense this, and kneeled once more. Anna clambered down off the unicorn's back, and stared at the majestic sight. The unicorns drinking and grazing peacefully at the bottom made the scene even more surreal; it was straight out of the fairy tales Anna loved so dearly.

Several of the golden-hued babies trotted over to greet her. She stood there for the longest time, petting their soft, glimmering coats.Her white friend gently nudged her over to a group of adults. Some came to greet her, but many others warily wandered away.She reached out a gentle hand to them, allowing them to smell and nuzzle her hand. Pretty soon, the creatures were comfortable with being petted. Anna chose a spot where the cold ground was covered in leaves and sat. A couple of the unicorns followed her, including the first one.

Anna stayed in the clearing, committing the scene to memory, until the first pink lights of dawn broke over the mountains. "Oh, I must be going!" she whispered, jumping up from the spot where she had been sitting so quietly. The first unicorn gave her a sorrowful look. "I'll be back soon. I'll call you out of the forest. But what _should_ I call you?" Anna looked at the golden and pink rays, steadily making their way through dense leaves of the trees. "Aurora, like the dawn princess, that would be a fitting name. Do you like it?" The unicorn bent down as a way of agreement. Anna climbed onto her back, and set off for the castle in the early morning light. 

It took a long while to get back to the castle. Anna realized that the clearing Aurora had lead her to must be in the heart of the Forbidden Forest, much farther than Anna would have ever dared to go alone. The forest was forbidden, after all. But Anna had seen no reason for it to be tonight. It was a lovely place! Anna assured herself that the professors had warned the students away simply for the reason that it was so lovely, some students would never leave. It was while she was still thinking that Aurora gently bumped her hand with her soft nose. Anna looked up. They were at the edge of the trees, and daylight was just breaking over the castle. "Thank you," Anna murmured, dismounting. She patted the unicorns nose. "I'll be back soon." And with that, she turned and ran up to the great oak doors of the castle.

When she returned to the safety of Ravenclaw tower, Anna didn't even bother sleeping. She would have to get up in an hour anyway, and start gathering her things for potions. Instead, she got dressed, and began reviewing last weeks notes. Witt had been right, she thought. Anna had formed an opinion about Snape – he was absolutely horrid. She wouldn't have minded if he were just strict. McGonagall was strict, and she was Anna's favorite teacher. No, Snape was cruel – he picked on students. Anna couldn't stand adults like that. She wondered how he had received the teaching position in the first place. 

Her thoughts were interrupted as Ophelia pulled open her bed curtains, blinking. "Anna? What are you doing up so early?"

Anna shrugged. "Thought I'd get a start on the day."

"Oh. Do you want to quiz each other on potions ingredients after I get dressed?" she whispered, trying not to wake the others.

Apparently she failed, for Padma's muffled voice came from behind her curtains. "You're mental, the both of you."

Anna and Ophelia shared a grin, trying not to laugh. "You have another hour to sleep, Padma."

Padma drew back her curtains. "Nah. Can't with you two making such a ruckus. I'll quiz you both."

The other two nodded. After all, Padma was quite good at potions.

An hour before lunch, Anna could feel her head drooping as the class was transcribing notes from Snape's lecture. Susan poked her in the side. She sat up straight, turning to Susan. "What?"

Susan's eyes were round. She frantically gestured under the table. Anna looked at her, confused.

"I said, Miss Moon, what quantity of nightshade would you add to a levitation draught?"

Anna looked at him blankly. "Er… I don't believe I know sir."

"I thought not. Bones, could you answer the question?"

With much stammering, Susan was able to do so. It crossed Anna's mind that the answer must be fairly obvious. Padma poked her in the back. 

"Ssp… we studied that this morning, silly!" 

Anna was very glad when it was time for lunch. As they were headed up the dungeon stairs, Mandy commented on the dark circles under her eyes.

"You don't look to great, Anna. I reckon you're coming down with something."

Anna yawned. "No, I'm just tired." She smiled at the others, bleary-eyed. "Really!"

"That's what you get when you wake up earlier than Ophelia," muttered Padma.

At lunch, Anna nearly fell asleep at the table. Luckily Lisa caught her before she fell, face first, into her stew. They returned to Potions. Snape was droning on about the levitation draught the class was to prepare. Anna felt her head growing heavier and heavier. The next thing she knew…

"Detention, Miss Moon. I will not tolerate students falling asleep in my class, said an icy voice.

Anna blearily looked up at Snape, who was looking very triumphant to have caught a Ravenclaw slacking off. Anna opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out. Snape turned. "Now, where was I?" Anna stared glumly at the chalkboard for the remainder of the lesson. When Snape gave her the detention slip, she stuffed it in her bag without looking. Padma walked beside her as they left the classroom, glaring daggers at Snape's back.

"Oh, Anna. I'm sorry. We should've noticed and woken you up."

"What d'you have to do?" asked Mandy.

Anna pulled the crumpled bit of paper out of the bag, and read it aloud. "detention, in the dungeon, at 10:00 sharp, tomorrow night."

Mandy furrowed her brow. "But he can't! Tomorrow's the 15th."

The girls gasped. "Oh, Anna!" Lisa's eyes started to tear.

"But… we've never had a meeting where we all weren't there."

Padma butted in. "We'll postpone it."

Anna shook her head. "It's the Quindecimdei club, it has to be on the 15th. I'll be fine, really." Anna tried to smile. She felt miserable inside, and all she wanted to do was sleep.

The rest of the day seemed horribly long. Instead of doing her homework before the midnight astronomy lesson, Anna went up to her room, and took a nap. Mandy shook her awake at 11:45. "C'mon, Anna… we'll be late!"

Anna followed her friends up to the astronomy tower. Usually the subject fascinated her. Tonight she could only concentrate on keeping her eyes open.

"Back when wizards and muggles lived in relative harmony, in ancient Greece, there was a man named Perseus. His mother was a muggle, Danae, and his father was the great sorcerer of the day. Who can tell me his name? Zeus, that is correct Miss Brocklehurst. There is still a debate today over whether or not he inherited his fathers great magical abilities, or if he was merely able to complete his mission with the help of other wizards and witches."

Anna remembered being quite surprised at the first astrology lesson. Professor Sinistra had told them that the Greek myths that muggles studied were true, in part. The ancient muggles had merely assumed that the great wizards of the day must be Gods, with their extraordinary powers. Back then, muggles and wizards had lived in peace, except for the few times the wizards had decided to punish the muggles for lack of faith in their powers. Anna was quite intrigued with this reverse persecution. She had even considered doing her History of Magic paper on the topic.

"Now the king Polydectes fell in love with Danae, but he knew Perseus would object to the marriage. So Polydectes sent Perseus on a mission to cut off the head of the gorgon Medusa. Perseus was able to succeed with the help of Hermes and Athena. They gave him enchanted objects to help him on his quest, such as a pair of slippers enchanted with the same charm that we use on broomsticks today. Does any one remember the other objects that were given to him?"

Usually Anna would have loved this, as she had read a book on mythology countless times at Miss Marple's. Tonight, she sat toward the back of the circle, and listened as Ophelia answered. 

"Hermes introduced Perseus to the Graeae, the sea witches. They gave him the slippers, along with an enchanted satchel to store Medusa's head in, and a helmet that was enchanted to make one invisible. Hermes lent him his sword, and Athena lent him her shield."

"Very good, Miss Fawcett. When Perseus defeated the Gorgon, by causing her to look at her own reflection, muggles believe that a magical creature sprung from her blood and the water of the sea. What creature was this?" Lisa raised her hand.

"It was a Pegasus, a winged horse."

"Very good Miss Turpin. To make a long story short, Perseus got the girl," (there were quite a few giggles at this one) "and managed to turn the King to stone with Medusa's head. For his heroic deeds, muggles believed that Zeus placed him in the sky. We really know that wizards can do no such thing, and that the ancient muggles merely named a star pattern in honor of him. Tonight we will be examining this constellation. All right, everyone grab a partner and a telescope…"

They went on to talk about binary stars, the effect that caused the star Algol to twinkle. Anna made herself a mental note to get Lisa to review her on this later. She didn't think she was catching a word of it. 

At one in the morning, Anna finally crawled into bed. Tomorrow is Friday, she thought, and after that, I can sleep all weekend. She drifted off immediately.

Anna woke up feeling quite rested. Defense Against the Dark Arts was quite boring, as usual. Anna would've forgotten about her detention entirely, if it had not been for Padma passing along a note about the meeting. Anna was sitting between Lisa and Ophelia, so it was passed to her. She glanced over at Padma, who glanced back sympathetically.

"Maybe you'll be out by then," suggested Lisa hopefully.

"I doubt it," muttered Mandy, who was sitting behind Lisa. "This is Snape we're talking about, remember?"

Professor Quirrell looked over at them, but didn't say anything. He never rebuked them for whispering in class. Padma figured he was scared of his own students. Anna lowered her head and went back to her work. No need to get an unsatisfactory grade in Defense Against the Dark Arts as well.

The girls were still sitting up in the common room when the grandfather clock chimed half past nine. Lisa glanced up over her book at Anna. Anna sighed, and set her History of Magic paper down with a thud. She brushed against her quill, upsetting her ink jar. With a sigh, she took a spare piece of parchment and mopped up the mess. She shoved everything back into her bag, inky paper and all. What a night. She only hoped that Snape would be merciful and let her out before midnight. But as Mandy had said, it _was_ Snape they were talking about.

She murmured goodbye to the others, who echoed the sentiment with sympathetic looks. Swinging the bookcase around, she headed out down the hall, past the Charms classroom, and down the stair. 

Four flights later, she arrived down in the murky dungeons of the school. The door to Professor Snape's classroom was open, so Anna entered. Glancing around, she realized that no one was here yet, so she took a seat. After a few moments, she pulled out her book, and thumbed to the page where she had left off. That was the good thing about robes, Anna had decided early on. They had roomy pockets in which you could stash all sorts of things – she believed she had even seen Professor Sprout pull a rake out of hers the other day. Of course, it was all due to magic, but still Anna marveled at it.

She had just begun to read when Professor Snape swooped into the classroom. He had a boy by the arm, and was delivering a furious diatribe…

"Really, I would expect better of a Slytherin, it makes – " he cut off as he saw Anna sitting there staring. She hastily stuffed her book back into her pocket. Her eyes grew wide as she realized who the sandy haired boy was.

"Hullo," muttered Aidan, looking rather cross.

"No talking," snapped Snape. He stalked off to the storeroom, and emerged with several large jars. Anna sat up in her seat, curious to see what would happen next.

Actually, it wasn't so bad. Snape gave them a list of ingredients, and told Aidan to go fetch his cauldron and book. When he returned, Snape gave them a page number, and told them to make four batches of an antidote for the swelling solution that the second years were going to be working with the following week. Just about then, Professor Sprout stopped by. She looked surprised to see Anna there, but before she could say anything, Snape returned with an armful of vile looking bottles. He set them on the table before turning to Professor Sprout.

"Just stopping by for some more flesh eating slug repellent, Severus. I'm clean out." She showed him the empty container. "Also, Dumbledore said he wanted a word with you, I just passed him in the entrance. He said it's urgent." 

After Snape had procured the slug repellent, and given them a warning to touch nothing, he left. Aidan followed him to the door with his eyes, flinching a bit when he slammed it. Then he let out a string of words which made Anna gasp.

"Really!"

"Well, he is," said Aidan sullenly. "What did you do to get on his bad side?"

"Fell asleep in class," Anna muttered, blushing.

Aidan laughed. "Having some late night adventures again, eh?" Anna though of the unicorns and blushed even more furiously. "That's all right. I switched the beetle dung and the armadillo bile." He chuckled. "Now that was worth it. Too bad I had to get caught this time."

"This time?" Anna was appalled. 

Aidan shrugged. "Sure. And it's easiest to pull off in potions, since it's so precise. Though I did have an inspiring thought about an experiment in transfiguration the other day…"

Anna stared at him, wide eyed. He must be joking. "But don't you get in trouble? I mean, have you ever had to go to Dumbledore?"

"Plenty of times. I get good enough marks for them to not throw me out. He usually just writes home to my mum. She's so pleased that I got into a school though, she doesn't care. I get the feeling that none of them care. Except Snape of course." Aidan made a face. "Degrading the name of Slytherin… you of all people." His mimicry was near perfect, and Anna had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing. "So how've they been treating you up there?" he asked.

"In Ravenclaw?" Anna's heart sank as she thought of the meeting. "Oh, very well. They're all wonderful, the girls in my year especially."

Aidan made a funny face. "I've heard you hang around with that Turpin girl quite often."

"Lisa? Yes, she's my best friend."

"She's muggle born isn't she?"

Anna shrugged, frowning. "I suppose so. She never really talks about her family that much, I think it's only her and her dad. Why do you ask?"

Aidan shrugged back in response. "Some of the first years call her a Mudblood. Just wondering if she really is one," he said rather carelessly.

"A what?" Anna asked.

Aidan raised his eyes to the ceiling at her lack of knowledge. "A Muggle-born."

"Oh. Well, if you've been talking to Pansy Parkinson, she calls me 'the help'. She just likes slandering people. Anyway, why should it make a difference? Lisa's fantastic at charms and transfiguration, better than most of the others who've grown up around wizards. Besides, you're muggle born too, aren't you?"

Aidan suddenly stiffened, his face turning cold. "I'm from a very old family. My father was a powerful wizard. Don't you dare breathe a word about my mum being a muggle."

Anna turned slowly away. "All right," she replied, trying to put on an indifferent facade. Inside, her mind was racing. What had happened to Aidan since she had first met him to make him act like this? As far as he knew, his blood was no purer than Lisa's. Anna felt her face burn with anger. What right had he had to call her that name? Anna had heard that all Slytherins were snobs concerned with bloodlines, but she hadn't believed it until now, when she saw Aidan – _her old friend_ – act this way.

They didn't speak for the remainder of the detention. Snape returned soon afterwards, a glare on his face. Anna's arms were starting to ache from stirring the cauldron, and the silence was becoming unbearable. She was very relieved to finally be able to pour the last bits of the antidote into the final jar (Snape had yelled at her earlier when she had tried to magic the potion in).

Once they had cleaned up the work area and were dismissed, Anna raced back up the stairs to the Ravenclaw common room. She tiptoed up the stairway to the dormitories. Stopping outside the closed first year door, she pressed her ear to it, holding her breath. She heard hushed whispers and stifled giggles. Smiling, she softly knocked three times. There was a sudden lull in the noise, and the sounds of four pairs of feet padding quickly across the floor. The door opened a crack. Mandy peered through it. "Is that you, Anna?" The door opened wider, and Anna slipped in.

There was a ring of extinguished candles in the center, and a large spell book. "What's up?" Anna asked, a bit puzzled. 

Padma emerged from the drawn curtains of her bed. "We're looking up ways to get back at Pansy," she grinned wickedly.

"Splendid!"

The girls spent the midnight hour giggling over various hexes. When the candles were put out once more, and all the girls were tucked in their beds, Anna fell asleep with a smile on her face, feeling much better than she had in a long while.

Extra special thanks to my beta reader, Madhuri! And to all those who review… *hint, hint*


	13. The Grey Lady

She had never ridden a horse before, but she had always imagined it to be like this

The Grey Lady

The next morning was a cold and blustery Saturday.

Anna took full opportunity of the chance to catch up on some sleep. She wandered down into the common room around half past one. Ophelia glanced up at her, positively scandalized. "I've been up and working on Charms for hours!"

Padma was a bit more sympathetic. "Gosh Anna, you must have been really tired! You usually get up earlier than I do…"

"Yeah," said Mandy, her face burrowed in her Transfiguration book, "you even beat me today. I gave in around twelve."

Anna yawned, stretching. "Where's Lisa?"

Just then, the revolving bookcase swung round, and in came Lisa, her face flushed pink with the cold. She rubbed her mittened hands together, smiling.

"And what have you been up to?" Padma questioned.

"Look out the window!" cried Lisa.

The other girls ran over to see what on earth could be so exciting. Mandy reached it first, pushing it open. "Snow!" she cheered.

Anna pushed herself between Padma and Ophelia. Indeed, large flakes were fluttering down from the sky, starting to cover the dull brown ground with a carpet of white.

"Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott stopped by this morning at breakfast to ask if Anna and I wanted to take a walk with them. But you were still sleeping, Anna, so I didn't want to disturb you… Anyway, we walked down to the greenhouse and visited Professor Sprout – she was down there covering some of the plants –and it began to snow.

"Then we walked down to Hagrid's – you know, the ground's keeper – and had some tea. Oh, it was lots of fun!" The happy look on her face faded a bit as she glanced around. "What?" she asked.

"Didn't they invite us?" asked Ophelia, rather sulkily. 

"Oh! Well, not by name, but if you had wanted to come, they wouldn't have minded at all… oh dear, I'm sorry – I suppose I should have asked you all, I was just so excited…"

Anna grinned. "Oh, Lisa, it's alright! Let's go out and have a snowball fight this evening, okay?"

Lisa looked very relieved. Padma however, muttered in a hardly audible voice, "easy enough for Anna to say. She was actually invited."

Anna turned, frowning. "Oh, come now. It's only because I sit with Susan in Herbology…"

"She's still a Hufflepuff though," interrupted Mandy. "Not to say that there's anything wrong with that… it's not like they're Slytherins or anything… But it would have been nice to inform the rest of us where you were going, Lisa. We might have been worried."

Lisa turned defensive. "Might have been? What does that mean – that you weren't? I was just having a bit of fun!" she exclaimed huffily.

"The night after a meeting?" hissed Padma, lowering her voice slightly.

"Come on guys," said Anna, "we're still best friends."

"Some of us are," snapped Ophelia.

Mandy hovered on the outside of the two groups, uncertain of where she should stand on this matter. "Look now," she said uncomfortably, "just as long as it doesn't happen again…"

"And what if it does?" asked Lisa defiantly, tears beginning to run down her face. She wiped them away hastily with the back of her hand. "Just because I have friends that respect me, and show an interest in me…"

"We respect you," glowered Padma. "Question is, do you respect us?"

"Padma!" admonished Anna and Mandy at once. Lisa, however, burst into sobs, and flew up the staircase to the first-year dormitory. Anna made as if to go after her, but Mandy caught her arm. 

"I'll go," she said, glaring at Padma, "you were invited too, so she may think we're all mad at her if I don't."

Anna nodded, giving her a weak smile of thanks. Then she turned back to Padma. "You should apologize," she said. "You really hurt her feelings – just because you haven't made an attempt to make friends outside Ravenclaw…"

"Maybe I don't need friends outside Ravenclaw!" Padma shouted. People sitting at the nearby tables stopped their studying to gaze up at the scene. Anna turned scarlet.

"You just don't want to associate with other houses because you're still disappointed that you and Parvati were separated, and that she's making new friends too!" she cried.

She had hit the nail on the head. Padma's tanned face turned scarlet as well, and she clenched her fists, searching for something to shoot back for a moment. When she couldn't find anything, she stalked out of the room, pushing the bookcase extra hard as she went, causing the suit of armor to sway as he passed several times. The entire common room started at the bookcase as it returned to it's right side, and then shifted their gaze to Anna.

If it was possible, she blushed even redder. Ophelia sat in her armchair, watching. "You shouldn't have said that aloud," she said, frowning.

"And you shouldn't have said what you did either. You don't know what it's like not to fit in – you've lived in this world your whole life. Lisa's just starting out, give her a break! You don't know what it's like to feel alone…"

Ophelia turned a shade paler at this, and Anna instantly regretted her words. Who had felt the least at home the first month here? It had been Ophelia, while Anna and Lisa were becoming fast friends. Anna opened her mouth to apologize, but Ophelia stood up, taking her book with her, and walked out the door after Padma. 

Anna sighed, then turned to slowly climb the stairs to the room. Mandy was sitting cross-legged on Lisa's bed, talking to her in a low, soothing voice. Lisa's eyes were still red. Anna walked over and hugged her.

The three girls went down to lunch. Padma and Ophelia were there, Ophelia still clenching her book tightly in her hands. Mandy choose a seat at the opposite end of the table from them, and Anna and Lisa followed her. Padma refused to look in their direction, but instead, started up a conversation with a group of second years. Still, Anna found it hard to swallow her roast beef sandwich, feeling as if something was drastically wrong with the Quindecimdei sitting apart. Both girls at the other end stood up and walked off soon after, but were there long enough to witness Susan and Hannah walking into the Great Hall, and waving hello cheerfully to Anna. 

"So sorry you couldn't come this morning, we had the _greatest_ time!"

Anna smiled half-heartedly, and glanced out of the corner of her eye to Padma. Padma's lips were pressed firmly together, but still, she refused to look at Anna as she brushed past out into the entry hall.

What should have been a wonderful day, full of snowball fights, and with steaming mugs of hot cocoa for desert, turned out horribly. Anna sat up in the common room, pretending to study her astronomy chart, feeling miserable all the while. Guilt was eating at her. The day seemed to drag on forever. Anna made up her mind that as soon as she saw Padma and Ophelia, she would apologize. Every time the book case swung open, her eyes skipped up. But it was never them. The clock had chimed six o'clock before they finally entered. Anna stood, her star-chart dropping from her lap. But as she opened her mouth to speak, Padma cut her off, in a nasty tone.

"I noticed you weren't at dinner. Where were you, out with Susan and Hannah?"

Anna felt her face flush crimson. "Where were you," she shot back, "off making new friends of your own?"

"At least they're Ravenclaws!"

Ophelia shot them both a frightened look before heading up the stairs. Seething, Anna gathered her things. She marched over to the bookcase, and swung it open. She didn't stop walking until she reached the Great Hall, where she sat down for dinner, although she wasn't hungry. She served herself some pork chops, with potatoes on the side, but sat there toying with them unenthusiastically. Roger leaned over several seats, where he was talking with his friends.

"Are you going to eat that or not?"

Anna slid it down the table listlessly. "You can have it." She stood to leave.

Roger raised his brows. "You alright?"

Anna nodded, a tight lump gathering in her throat. She had the sudden urge to cry. No, she wasn't alright at all. "I'm fine," she said.

Roger shrugged, "Okay then," and set about eating Anna's dinner.

Anna returned to the dormitory. Mandy and Lisa were still up, but Anna felt very tired. The day had been quite draining. She noticed both Padma and Ophelia's curtains were drawn. "Ophelia?" she whispered uncertainly. "Padma?" There was no response. She changed into her pajamas quietly, and got into bed, snuggling the heavy blue blanket around her. Anna lay there for the longest time, staring at the top of her blue canopy, unable to sleep. She heard Mandy and Lisa pad quietly up the stairs, heard them get into bed, whispering goodnight. She listened as the grandfather clock down in the common room chimed nine, then ten, eleven, twelve, one… her mind was still racing with the things that had been said today. Poor Lisa, who was only trying to be friendly and find her way in this new world. Poor Mandy, who was caught between her friends. Poor Padma and Ophelia, who were having trouble adjusting to life without their sisters. Anna had seen the way Padma's eyes had followed Parvati out of the Great Hall lunch. She had been chatting steadily with Lavender Brown, and hadn't even smiled or glanced Padma's way. And Ophelia – dear Ophelia, who had trusted Anna with her secret loneliness, and had been betrayed. And poor, poor Anna, who lay there, unable to get to sleep.

Suddenly, an idea came to her. She would go down to the edge of the forest, and call for Aurora. If the unicorn didn't come, she could always come right back. But Anna hoped fervently that she would come. So, she silently slipped on her heavy cloak over her pajamas and headed down the stairs.

She had a near miss as Peeves came bouncing along the halls. Anna ran into a classroom, and hid behind the door, waiting for him to pass. Sure enough, the cackling faded, and Anna slipped down to the main hall, and past the great doors. They creaked on their hinges, and she said a silent prayer that Mrs. Norris would not appear – the only cat she was ever unhappy to see. But no one came, and Anna stepped outside with a sigh of relief.

The snow had stopped around noon, and was not very deep. Anna trudged through it, ignoring the tracks that she left in the snow. She would cover them when she returned. She walked out to the edge of the forest, teeth chattering, cloak wrapped tightly around her, and paused.

"Aurora!" she cried, her voice lost in the wind. "Aurora!"  
Just when she was giving up hope, and turning to return to the castle, the sound of soft hoof beats came, making her smile. "Aurora!" She clasped her arms around the creatures neck. Somehow the graceful unicorn looked slightly heavier, more solid than the last time Anna had seen her. But it was probably her imagination. She placed a hand on the unicorn's back, and hoisted herself up. Aurora dashed out across the snow.

They had not traveled so fast the last time, but here at the edge of the forest, where the trees were not so thick, they flew. Aurora's graceful looking body held a power that Anna had never realized before this moment as she felt the muscles stretch and flex beneath her. Snow flew up all around them, and Aurora sped on through the dark trees. Moonlight illuminated the snow, and cast strange shadows across the shimmering white blanket that covered the earth. Anna clung tightly to the unicorn's neck, her hair coming lose of her streaming tails and whipping itselfaround her flushed face. It was exhilarating, the feeling of being more alive than ever. Anna's heart pounded in her ears, yet she could hear clearly; and though her hair flew about her head like a wind-swept halo, she could see the vibrant, glistening black and white of the wintry world like never before. Her face strung with the cold, but her body was filled with a strange warmth. "Faster," she breathed, not wanting it to stop.

Aurora's legs increased their strides. Racing, the trees became grey blurs, the snow, a dull silver. The wind whistled in Anna's ears, begging her to stop, telling her that if she went any farther, she would never be able to turn back…

They came to a sudden halt. Anna, gasping for breath herself, felt Aurora's sides heaving. They had returned to the clearing. The waterfall, now half-frozen, was a glistening cathedral of ice. The stars and moon were reflected in the frosted mirror that had been the pond, only a month earlier. Anna raised her eyes to the sky. Majestic in the deep blue heavens was the moon, ringed with white. _Snow again tomorrow _Anna thought.

She did not stay long this time, as it was so cold. Soon, Aurora was nudging her to climb onto her back once more, and start the trek back to the castle. Anna did so, not entirely sad to be leaving the cold, though the clearing was lovely. They cantered back at a much slower pace than they had come, but it didn't seem to take much longer. Anna suspected that the unicorn had led her on a tour of the forest, circling around at first. At the edge of the trees, she dismounted, kissing Aurora's warm nose. "Thanks," she whispered, "I needed that." Aurora nuzzled her slightly, then returned to the darkness of the forest, eventually fading in with the snow.

Anna walked back up to the castle, this time carefully melting the snow with her wand where she had walked, causing any trace of footprints to vanish. It would freeze over again before morning, leaving only a funny, winding path that could have been made by any creature – rather than the shoe-prints of an eleven year old girl.

She had almost made it back to the suit of armor unspotted, when a gentle voice came from behind her. "What are you doing out and about so late dear?" it inquired, not unkindly. Anna whipped around, her face flushed with guilt. A hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh!"

It was the ghost of a tall, slender woman, dressed in a beautiful gown dating from another time.

"You're the Grey Lady, aren't you?"

The ghost nodded. "And you are Anna Moon."

Anna was bursting with questions to ask her, the main one being if Ophelia's stories about her had been true. But she though it would be rude to ask. Uncomfortably, she waited for the ghost to say something.

The Grey Lady smiled. "I do not know if your mother would have been pleased to know that her daughter would sneak around the castle after hours."

This was the thing Anna had least expected. "You knew Madeline?" she blurted out.

"Yes, quite well. She was a prefect, you know, known and liked by everyone. Well," she restated, frowning a bit, "almost everyone, I should say, as she was murdered, the poor dear. Such a sad thing…" The ghost seemed to lapse back into her thoughts. Anna waited, silently. "Ah – but she did leave me a bit of a puzzle for you to ponder, yes… of course, I think she was planning on being alive to see the result, but none-the-less… it is a spell. Remember these words carefully now, Anna – Amo Materna."

Anna repeated the phrase silently several times. Then she looked back to the Grey Lady. "And then?"

"Oh, dear," the ghost said smiling. "She wouldn't tell me the rest. Said that her child would have to figure it out on her own. And I'm sure you're bright enough child – you're the daughter of Madeline Prewitt!"

Anna frowned. "But my mother's name was Moon."

"Not when she was here, dear. Your mother wasn't born married, remember." The Grey Lady glanced at a watch hanging from her waist by an invisible chain. "Ah, look at the time! I must be off. And you," she said, fixing her gaze on Anna, "should rest. Heavens knows, you'll need it or the months ahead."

Anna opened her mouth to question this as well, but before she had a chance, the Grey Lady glided through a wall and was gone. Anna headed into the common room, her mind racing as it had been before. How was she going to sleep?

But as she entered, her eyes met the bright light of the fire. What was it doing, still going so late? Then she saw the four figures, huddled around it.

Padma jumped up, hands on her hips. "Where were you?" she demanded. "We've been worried sick!" 

"I was out walking with some Hufflepuffs," said Anna sullenly. Not this, again.

Padma looked for a moment as if she would cry, then flung her arms around Anna. Anna was shocked. She hugged her back, rather uncertainly.

"It's okay, Anna," said Mandy. "Ophelia woke up and discovered you were gone, so we all came down here to see if you were here, and you weren't so we started talking, and oh, Anna… it's alright, we've all made up!" Anna glanced over and noticed Lisa's arm around Ophelia, who looked as if she had been crying. Anna sat down next to them, and gathered them both in a hug.

"Oh, Phelia, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say any of that to you, or to you Padma," she said, looking up. 

Padma grinned, a bit warily. "No," she said, "I should be sorry. I provoked you all, and I said some things I shouldn't have. It's alright if we all have friends outside the club. In fact, Ophelia and I were saying that we were all squabbling more like sisters than friends. 'Cause that's what we are anyway, blood sisters."

"And next time Susan invites us on a walk, we're bringing you _all_ along," said Lisa, firmly. Anna grinned.


	14. The Locket

??????????  
  
Anna had been puzzling over the spell the Grey Lady had given her for several weeks now.  
  
She had tried it, waving her wand in the air, when no one else was in the dormitory. She had checked out various spell books from the library, searching hour after hour for the words, but with no luck.  
  
The other girls had noticed Anna seemed more withdrawn as of late. They had asked her if she was still upset about the fight, but she assured them, time and time again, that she was not. Padma figured she was just studying harder than usual now that they had reached their second term, but Lisa and Ophelia doubted that, as she still didn't seem to have enough time to work on Potions seriously. If anything, Anna was paying less and less attention in that class, and her grade was suffering. She was certain Snape had given her an unsatisfactory mark for the first time the other day. When he stopped by Anna and Susan's cauldron, a cold smirk grew on his face, and he wrote the figure in the grade book with relish. Mandy and Ophelia exchanged worried glances, and made themselves mental reminders to ask her about it later.  
  
Anna, in her frustration over not being able to solve her little mystery, could have cared less about Potions. She didn't want to ask for help, though she had considered enlisting the girls, and in a moment of desperation, even thought about asking Professor Flitwick. But something in her head kept telling her that this was a personal matter, not one that she wanted to share with anyone else. So instead, she had begun to point at various inanimate objects while muttering the words under her breath, in hopes that something would happen. But it never did. She did manage to attract the attentions of Pansy Parkinson, who happened to be walking by at the moment Anna was whispering to a tapestry in the third floor corridor.  
  
"You're mental," squealed Pansy, wrinkling her snout-like nose up even further. "You'll be admitted to St. Mungo's, that is, if they don't break your wand and expel you first for falling asleep in class."  
  
Anna began to open her mouth to fire back a witty retort, but at that moment, Professor Flitwick rounded the corner. Pansy gave Anna one of her superior looks, turned on her heel, and headed off toward class. Anna glared at her back. Pansy had laid off the Ravenclaw girls for awhile, but ever since Anna's potions grade had begun to fall, she had returned to her old favorite past-time with a vengeance.  
  
However, it was hard to be in a foul mood with the castle looking so festive. As Christmas steadily approached, twelve magnificent trees appeared in the Great Hall, each decorated magically. Around the rest of the castle, boughs of holly mysteriously appeared overnight, and (much to Anna's amusement) sprigs of mistletoe. The teachers were beginning to get into the holiday spirit, and Professor Flitwick abandoned his lesson plans for the last week when Mandy inquired about the charm he had used to create the lovely golden bubbles on the Christmas trees. They spent the rest of the class making their own glowing ornaments. Lisa draped a shimmering gold circle over Anna's head, giggling, and Padma was busy decorating the tips of Ophelia's fingers with icicles. Everyone had a wonderful time, and the Ravenclaw's were rather reluctant to leave class that afternoon. Snape's lesson the following day was normal - the potions master was dour as usual, and seemed to snap at the students even more. But perhaps that was only in comparison to their other teachers - even McGonagall had managed a smile, and wished them all a Merry Christmas. Lisa poked Anna in the small of her back while Snape wasn't looking, and passed up a note. Anna unfurled it under the table, and had to shove her fit in her mouth to keep from laughing aloud. Lisa had quoted one of the many muggle books that Anna had loved at Miss Marple's.  
  
"The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!  
  
Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.  
  
It could be that his head wasn't screwed on quite right.  
  
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight."  
  
When she was finally able to keep a straight face, she glanced back, and grinned at Lisa. Susan peeked under the table to see what was so funny, but when she read Lisa's note she looked very puzzled. Apparently she had never been read Dr. Seuss as a child. But soon enough, class was out, and the girls practically ran from the freezing cold dungeon, settling in front of the fire in the common room. Lisa rubbed her hands together, and turned to Anna. "Like my poem?" she asked, keeping a straight face. Anna laughed once more, and the others just stared. Some things, she thought, just can't be explained.  
  
The girl's took full advantage of the long weekend to relax. All of the five were to be staying at Hogwarts for Christmas (though Padma's parents, along with Ophelia, had taken a lot of pleading to convince). "Think of all the homework you'll be able to do!" Mandy had said to Ophelia, a large grin on her face. Tuesday night they stayed up late, talking by the fire. Padma had managed to smuggle up some hot cocoa from dinner, and they sat around drinking it from it's flask until their yawns wouldn't stop. Anna was the first to retire to the dorm. She pulled her velvety blue covers over her head, and fell fast asleep.  
  
She awoke the following morning to a whoop of excitement coming from the direction of Mandy's bed, and the sound of frantic scurrying about the room. A beam of light momentarily blinded her as she blinked away sleep, wondering what Mandy was on about. She sat up, rubbing her eyes. Mandy was standing there, one hand holding back Anna's curtains, the other planted firmly on her hip.  
  
"It's about time. Honestly, you four, sleeping in on Christmas morning!"  
  
It was Christmas. The fact struck Anna suddenly. She hadn't had a proper Christmas since the ones at Miss Marple's, but today she would have a feast, and gifts. four were guaranteed, plus one if Witt had remembered. Anna hopped out of bed. The other girls were already sitting on the floor, unwrapping their gifts.  
  
"Oh! Thanks Padma. I was almost out."  
  
"Lisa, this will be great."  
  
"I've wanted one of these forever, thanks Mandy!"  
  
"Wonderful - Sugar Quills!"  
  
Then came the presents from home. Anna was quite surprised to see several parcels wrapped in plain brown paper, and tied up with string. A note was pinned to one, and Anna recognized Witt's neat handwriting.  
  
Thought I'd send you a little something with Darius - I'm sure he'll be happy to stretch his wings. Love, Witt  
  
Anna grinned, carefully unwrapping the smallest box first. She was surprised at it's weight. Underneath the brown paper, the box was neatly stamped with 'Arpeggio & Fortissimo ~ Mystical Music Shoppe since 1311'. Anna was quite intrigued - she played no musical instruments, so what could this be? Carefully, she slid off the lid.  
  
Inside was a beautiful wooden box, small, with a hinged lid and an intricately carved design on top. She gently lifted the lid, and strains of a melody came that brought tears to her eyes - it was the same melody that her mother sang in her dream.  
  
Mandy looked up. "What did you get, Anna?" she asked. Anna held up the box, momentarily unable to speak.  
  
Ophelia closed her eyes and listened. "I love this aria," she whispered.  
  
Anna turned her head sharply. "You know the tune?"  
  
Ophelia nodded, smiling, her eyes still closed. "Of course I know it. It's the most beautiful song from the most famous wizarding opera ever written - Merlinus by Andante Largo. It's the song that the Lady of the Lake sings to Merlin in the third act." Her eyes opened. "Oh, you do need to see it, it's simply wonderful. but if it's not playing, you can usually hear it on Wizarding Wireless - they play the classics on Sunday afternoons."  
  
Padma nodded, looking up from her new set of potions bottles, all various size, colors and shapes. "I think I've heard it before."  
  
Anna smiled, closing the box. Her mother's song had a name.  
  
"Aren't you going to open the others as well?" inquired Lisa, who was carefully examining the new camera her father had sent her.  
  
Anna set the box down gently, and started to unwrap the larger box. Her fingers dug through the tissue paper inside, and pulled out.  
  
"Oh, Anna," breathed Lisa, "it's lovely."  
  
It was a nightgown, a beautiful, long white one, with lace at the collar and wrists. A pink satin ribbon tied in a pink bow around the neck. Anna grinned, holding it up to her body, and twirling around.  
  
"I'm going to wear it all day!"  
  
"But Anna," said Lisa skeptically, "what about the feast?"  
  
"Oh. right."  
  
Mandy plopped down next to Lisa. "You know, you can send away for chemicals to make the pictures you take move. I've done it before. Instead of adding the fix, like the Muggles do, you add this stuff called 'magical mover'."  
  
Ophelia meanwhile held up the bowed set of books she had received from home. "It's the newest series by Cordelia Wexler. you know, the author who wrote Lydia Trendille? You can borrow it when I'm finished if you'd like, Anna."  
  
The girls spent the rest of the morning Oohing and Ahhing over their presents. It was Lisa who finally let out a little shout of excitement, glancing down at her brand-new wristwatch.  
  
"Oh! The feast's in ten minutes - we'd better get down there!"  
  
There was a scurry to get dressed. When everyone was almost ready (Padma was still braiding her hair as they walked out the door), they left for the Great Hall.  
  
The feast was fantastic, a meal Anna would have never dreamed she would have been having this time last year. This thought brought a guilty jolt to her stomach, as she sat there, laughing and eating with her four best friends. What was Linnea doing this Christmas? Anna had forgotten to send her even a card. She glanced up at Lisa, who looked so much like her old friend, yet different somehow. Lisa didn't notice Anna looking at her rather sadly, as she was preoccupied with serving herself a large slab of roast turkey. Anna was jolted from her thoughts by Padma, who was sitting to her right.  
  
"Pass me the cranberry sauce, would you Anna? Thanks."  
  
Anna shook her head, trying to snap herself out of it. Feeling gloomy at Christmas would do Linnea no good, wherever she was. Anna coated her potatoes with a thick layer of dressing, and began to eat.  
  
Between dinner and desert (Flaming Christmas pudding), the Ravenclaw girls turned their attention to the large pile of wizarding crackers in front of them. Mandy offered Anna the end of one, and laughed heartily when Anna nearly fell off her seat in surprise at the noise it made, along with the cloud of bright yellow smoke that engulfed them all. Out of the cracker came all sorts of wonderful treats that could have only fit inside by magic. Anna collected a tiara, a pack of non-explodable balloons, two decks of exploding snap cards, and several different kinds of wizard candy, from Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans to Chocolate Frogs.  
  
When the feast was over, the girls lugged their hoard up to the Common Room, which was a happy buzz of activity. Penelope showed them the new charm she had received for her bracelet, a tiny silver eagle that flapped his wings as he moved. The girls sat around, taking turns with Anna's decks of Exploding Snap, Mandy's Gobstones and Ophelia's Wizarding Chess set. The fire crackled merrily, and some of the first year boys set about roasting marshmallows over the fire. Terry Boot offered his to Lisa, who blushingly accepted.  
  
It was in all this commotion that Anna was able to slip away unnoticed. She had gathered away some sandwiches from the dinner table, tightly wrapped, along with a good portion of her candy, and wrapped them tightly. She hurried up to the owlery, and scribbled a hasty note.  
  
1 To Linnea - Merry Christmas - Anna  
  
She managed to get a school owl to wake up and fly down from his roost. He stuck out a leg, and Anna attached the note, and tied on the parcel, scribbling down Lisa's street address, though she wasn't sure if the owl needed it. She watched it fly off into the sun, setting slowly over the snow, then turned and hastened back to the dorm.  
  
She found the four up in their dormitory, pulling on heavy socks and mittens, and bundling up with scarves.  
  
"There you are Anna! We're going outside, Susan invited all of the Ravenclaw first-years for a big snowball fight on the front lawn."  
  
"Splendid!" Anna grinned, reaching into her trunk for her own gloves.  
  
It was a good bit of fun, rather than splitting up by houses, the first- years divided arbitrarily - Anna and Padma were on one team, with Susan Bones; Hannah Abbott, Ophelia, Mandy and Lisa ended up on the other. Even though her fingers started seizing up with the cold, and her cheeks grew pink, and felt warmer than she had in a long time, laughing, and throwing snowballs at her friends. One caught Mandy full in the face. "Excellent!" Padma crowed, just before getting hit in the ear with a snowball from Ophelia. At long last, Professor McGonagall marched out of the castle, and berated them for staying out past dark.  
  
"But it's Christmas," Mandy moaned as they trudged back inside, dripping all the way down the hall. Filch would have a field day if he saw them.  
  
The girls returned to the fire to dry off and warm up, but not for long. Lisa was the first to yawn, then Padma, and so on. The girls went up the stairs, one by one, and got ready for bed. Anna drew her curtains, and changed into her new nightgown, coming out to model it for the others. Then she returned to her bed, pulled the blue blankets up around her face, and fell into a deep sleep.  
  
The rest of the Holiday went by lazily, and as the excitement of Christmas wore off, Anna's mind wandered back to the spell the Grey Lady had given her. She was no closer to cracking it now than she had been a month ago.  
  
The Saturday night before school began again, Anna lay in bed, eyes still gazing at the words of the spell on the slip she had scribbled it on, so as not to forget. "Amo Materna," she whispered, running her fingers over the piece of parchment in her hand. She closed her eyes to the darkness of the curtains around her. "Amo Materna."  
  
Anna felt her head growing heavier. Her eyelashes fluttered against her cheeks as she began to drift off. With a lazy hand, she reached out to her bedside table, and propped open her music box, bringing it back into the curtains onto the pillow next to her. The soothing melody lulled her into the hazy beginnings of dreams.  
  
Suddenly a movement, and a sound, a sound like that of rustling wings, awoke her from her brief slumber. The sound seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. Anna sat straight up, eyes searching for the source of the noise. She ducked in terror as invisible wings dived toward her, she covered her head with both arms as it seemed to land directly behind her. She turned, face still covered, to see what had caused the commotion.  
  
Anna gasped as her wooden headboard seemed to take on a life of it's own, swirling around like a whirlpool. The carved bird in the center stretched it's wings, and with a noise like a violent gust of wind, craned it's neck out at her. Anna clamped a hand over her mouth, as she felt certain she must be screaming. But no sound came. She threw herself toward the foot of the bed, eyes fixed on the large bird. Her eyes caught a sudden glimmer of silver, and a ribbon, sparkling from the creature's beak.  
  
Just then, a bitter breeze blew through, shaking even the heavy blue curtains. There was a loud bang, as if the window had blown out from it's casement and thudded upon the wall. Anna still didn't break the eye contact between her and the wooden eagle. It blinked once, then was still as stone. With a tentative hand, Anna reached out, and pulled the ribbon toward her. Something slightly heavy fell onto Anna's pillow. "Lumos!" came a voice, then a chorus of voices, from outside the draperies. Meanwhile, the bird sank back into the woodwork, and with a single swirl, was as still as he had been for the past four months.  
  
"Anna?" Lisa whispered, just outside the curtain. "Are you all right?"  
  
"Yes, I'm fine," she whispered back, doing her best to keep her voice from trembling.  
  
"Bloody window blew open," she heard Mandy grumble. There was the sound of several pairs of feet padding across the cold floor.  
  
"Oh, dear!" That was Ophelia.  
  
Anna heard Padma muttering as she examined the window. "Shattered the top pane. How d'you like that? Reparo." Anna swung her curtain back in time to see Padma swing the window shut, and latch it once more. The four girls were standing there, barefoot, around a patch of snow that had blown in onto the floor.  
  
"Anna, you're good with water charms. Move that, would you?"  
  
Anna retrieved her wand from her nightstand, and steadied her shaking hand. With a well placed flick of her wrist and a few words, the snow was melted in the pitcher that stood on the table by the window.  
  
"Well," said Lisa, with a yawn, "G'Night."  
  
The rest of the group shuffled off to bed. It wasn't until the last curtain had closed that Anna dared to bring out her wand. She wanted to examine the object that her headboard had dropped out onto her bed. Her hand had been clenched around it tightly as the girls had spoken. It was a small, vaguely round, very cold piece of jewelry, she supposed, from it's weight and the ribbon that was attached to it. "Lumos," she whispered. The tip of her wand illuminated the small, comfortable space with a sudden glow. Anna brought her other hand up to it's light.  
  
It was a pendant of some sort, a perfect silver circle. She ran her fingers over it's face. A smaller circle of opalescent stone was set in the larger one, off to the side, making the silver orb appear to be a crescent moon. Three small sparkling stones, that looked to be diamonds, were implanted in the silver of the crescent, glittering like tiny stars. Anna ran her fingers over it again, admiring it's beauty. Then, at the edge of the pendant, she hit a ridge that felt curiously like a clasp. Anna turned it on it's side to examine it. She pressed the tiny button with a gentle fingertip. The face swung open, and Anna's heart leapt into her throat as the two faces stared back up at her from the faded picture.  
  
The picture was of two young people, a man and a woman, both smiling and waving. The man leaned over to the lady and whispered something in her ear. She lifted a hand to her mouth, laughing. They both seemed strangely familiar. He had brown hair and laughing brown eyes, and held his arm around the lady. Her hair was long and wavy, dark as a raven's wing. Her sparkling eyes were green. And at her throat sat the very same locket as Anna now held in her hands.  
  
Anna stayed awake for a long time, examining the picture over and over again. The dress the lady wore, though all you could see was the neckline, looked beautiful. It was square cut, with a row of lace and violet ribbon surrounding it. The dress itself was a shimmering sea-green material. The man, on the other hand, wore sensible wizards robes of dark blue. They looked so happy. Anna wondered if anything was written on the back of the photo. She dug her nail under the tiny silver frame, and slid the picture out into her palm. Turning it over, she read ~  
  
Jonathan and Madeline Moon  
  
August 1st, 1974  
  
Tears sprung in Anna's eyes. Somehow, she had known. But this. here it was, inscribed on the back of a picture - proof that Anna's parents had been real, living people. Though she had dreamed of them often, they never had the same faces - the features were never quite clear, and they changed from one dream to the next. But here - here they were, smiling up at her. For the first time in her life, she knew what they had looked like. She traced her mothers face with a fingertip. Gently, she closed the locket, and tied the ribbon around her own neck. "Good night," she whispered, hand lying across her throat. 


	15. Perseus

Perseus

Now that the holiday's were over, life had resumed it's normal state in Ravenclaw tower. 

Lessons began again, and the school was abuzz with talk of the upcoming game – Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor.

Anna had kept the locket around her neck ever since the night she had found it, but she tucked it under the collar of her robes as best she could. Somehow, she didn't quite feel like explaining what it was, or how she had received it, even to the members of the Quindecimdei.

She continued to sneak out to see Aurora, though she was only brave enough to chance it once a week. Every Thursday the unicorn appeared heavier and heavier. And every Friday, Anna's head continued to droop farther and farther in Potions.

It was mid-February, a week before the match was to take place, that Anna finally succumbed to her sleepiness once more. One moment, she had been writing notes, quill in hand, the blackboard swinging hazily in front of her, the next, she had awoken to find the entire class staring at her in silence. She lifted her head from her arms, a blot of green ink on her cheek. She raised her eyes to Professor Snape, dreading what would come next.

"That will be detention and ten points from Ravenclaw, Miss Moon." Snape smiled nastily. "And if you fall asleep again, I will see fit to go to the headmaster, and tell him of your unsatisfactory work in this class."

Anna served her detention that evening, thinking all the while of the meeting tomorrow night. A couple of Hufflepuff second years were there as well, including Abby Murphy from Miss Marple's. Anna gave her a wave and a weak smile, but didn't chance talking – she was in enough trouble as it was. But as Anna was at the sink, scrubbing out one of the cauldrons they were being made to clean, Abby came over to dump out a failed potion.

"Hallo," she whispered. "I've been meaning to stop by and talk to you, Hannah and Susan were telling me you were in their Potions class. How's it going for you."

Anna glanced about, making sure Snape was out of a whisper' earshot. "Oh, pretty well, thanks. Except for this of course." She nodded slightly to Snape.

"Ah, yes," whispered Abby sagely. "Well, no one really likes Potions, except the Slytherins of course. And even some of them can't stand Snape. Aidan said he'd had detention with you before."

Anna nodded grimly. "This is my second time in detention. I just can't seem to stay awake…"

Abby stifled a giggled, turning it into a hacking cough as Snape glared up. "That will do, Miss Murphy, return to your seat. Miss Moon, how long can it possibly take to clean one cauldron? Hurry up," he snapped. Anna was quite glad when they were all allowed to leave. She walked up to the entrance hall with the Hufflepuffs, then waved goodbye to Abby as she walked off down a passageway opposite the dungeons.

Anna needed a good break. On Saturday, at midnight, the girls gathered in their candle-lit circle. Lisa shared the Valentines Day candy she had received from a 'secret' admirer, blushing furiously when Mandy swore up and down she had seen Terry Boot receive a parcel in the same shape by owl the previous morning.

Aside from eating chocolate, and discussing their History of Magic paper ("Four full pieces of parchment!" Padma groaned), the meeting was rather uneventful. The girls had fell into a quandary about what exactly they should do next, as none of them had previous experiences with secret societies. In books, things always just _happened_, Anna thought, frustrated. Certainly, between the unicorns and her locket, she had had enough adventures to satisfy her for one year, but the club had not. Yet Anna still didn't feel like sharing either with her friends.

But as she leaned over to grab another piece of chocolate, both necklaces managed to slip out of her nightgown. They went unnoticed for a while, but then Ophelia's eyes widened.

"Anna, where did you get that necklace?"

For a moment, she was confused, holding up her fifth of the star. "Wha – this?" she asked frowning. Then she realized, blushing, and her hand flew to her throat. "Oh, this! It's nothing… family heirloom."

"When did you get it?" Lisa persisted.

"Witt sent it to me," Anna lied, blushing even deeper. She couldn't look Lisa in the eye somehow.

"It looks like a locket," Padma observed. "Did you put pictures in it?"

"No," Anna mumbled to her lap. "It came with a picture already in it."

"May we see?" asked Ophelia eagerly.

Anna clasped her hand over it tightly. "Um… I'd rather not right now. It's a bit personal.

"Oh." Here Ophelia blushed and lowered her eyes, realizing at last whose pictures they must be, and why Anna didn't want to show it. There was an uncomfortable silence, broken finally by Mandy.

"Well, it's quite lovely. Er – next item?"

Lisa began to babble on about their Transfiguration homework. Usually, Anna would have been glad to help, but for the rest of the meeting, she remained silent. For the first time after a Quindecimdei night, Anna was glad to get into bed and fall asleep.

*                      *                      *

At long last, it was Thursday again. Anna hadn't been to see Aurora for a full week, and it was becoming more and more painful each time. She was dismayed to find that Aurora was not waiting for her at the edge of the woods as she had been the past few times. Anna tried calling out to her, but there was no response, no gentle pounding of hooves from the direction of the dark woods. Anna began to worry. What could be wrong? For a moment, she hovered at the edge of the forest, uncertain of what to do next. Then she made up her mind. She was going in. Raising her shoulders, and stiffening her spine, Anna marched into the Forbidden Forest alone.

She stumbled through the darkness, with only the light of her wand to guide her. Her eyes flickered to the dark trees warily. Somehow the forest had never seemed this frightening when she was with Aurora. A noise caught her attention off to the left, and her heart leapt to her throat. She held up her wand, then extinguished it for fear that the creature who had made the noise would be able to see her. She crept along the overgrown path, feeling her way along. Several times she stumbled, tripping over the hem of her robes or a stray root, poking up through the ground. She rubbed her knee, and realized from the blood on her hand that she must have skinned it. The wind caused the leaves of the trees to whisper ominously, as if they knew an intruder was present, and they were plotting to get rid of her. An owl hooted in a nearby tree. Anna gasped, glancing up at it. It stared down at her imperiously before taking flight. A snap of a twig came from her right. Anna was now trembling. Another snap… Anna began to run, tears streaming down her face. She had to find Aurora – she could never make it out of her on her own.

She didn't stop running until she heard the stream, far ahead. Gasping for breath, and clutching a stitch in her side, she ran toward the happy sound. Finally, she stumbled into the clearing. The unicorns looked up, startled; some turned and galloped off. And then Anna saw her.

Aurora lay by the waterfall, which was running freely once more. Her head was nestled in, however, gently nuzzling a brilliant gold shape at her side. Anna approached cautiously, her hand to her mouth. It was a baby – a dazzling, golden baby unicorn.

As Anna reached the pair, Aurora lifted her head, tossing it a bit as if to say 'see?' "How lovely," Anna breathed in, tentatively offering a hand for the baby to sniff. Aurora seemed to allow this, so Anna ran her hand over the baby's soft coat. Anna withdrew her hand suddenly as she felt something was not quite right. Just then, the baby ruffled it's wings.

They had blended in so perfectly with the baby's shiny back, Anna had not noticed them at first, but the foal was certainly was not all unicorn. It looked up at her with it's large pink eyes, ones that would change to silver as it grew older. "You're part Pegasus," Anna breathed. "Like in the legend of Perseus." Aurora's head rose at this. "Perseus? Oh, Aurora, your baby's beautiful. I think I will call him Perseus – if it's alright with you."

The unicorn made no sign of displeasure, so Anna took this as a yes, and knelt down next to the two, stroking the baby gently.

*                      *                      *

            Anna managed to make it through Potions on Friday, wide awake. And Professor Snape seemed preoccupied, which was wonderful, as he seemed to pick on the class less, and allowed them to complete their Boil Brew in peace. 

            "It's the quidditch match, that's what's keeping him quiet," said Padma as they left. "He's refereeing on Saturday."

            Mandy and Lisa started giggling at the mental image of Professor Snape on a broom, but Anna frowned.

            "But isn't that unfair? I mean, he can't be impartial, can he, especially after Gryffindor beat Slytherin?"

            Ophelia frowned at this too. "It is strange," she said, "but Dumbledore must have thought it alright. He has to approve any changes, you know, Julie told me once…"

            She went on to inform them of all the nuances of refereeing Quidditch. Anna only half-listened, smiling and nodding.

            "…I'm sure she'll be quite upset about all this." They had reached the Great Hall.

            "Ah…" breathed Mandy, inhaling deeply. "Doesn't that smell great? I'm starved… Good food to eat and a Quidditch match tomorrow! It doesn't get much better than this."

            It was a nice enough day for late February, the sun was shining, although it was still a bit blustery. Anna and the others sat at the edge of the Ravenclaw crowd, alongside the Gryffindors. Julie Fawcett came to join them, and Padma's twin sister Parvati, along with her friend Lavender Brown. Julie did indeed have a lot to say about Snape refereeing the match, and the younger girls all sat listening in awe, especially the Gryffindor's, who couldn't seem to believe a seventh year was talking to _them_.

            "Oliver was a wreck, came to me asking if I could talk to Madam Hooch, or even Dumbledore, since I'm head girl. I told him part of my duty is to be impartial, which upset him quite a bit, he even said I didn't have proper house pride, although he did apologize later, dear boy. But I did ask Madam Hooch… she seemed to find it odd herself, but as Dumbledore gave Snape his consent, there wasn't much she could do… Oh, I just do hope it's a safe game! We've got a wonderful new seeker – Harry Potter you know, yes, you saw the last match… If he stays injury free, he could give Gryffindor a good seven-years worth of performances. Oliver says he's as good as Charlie Weasley, though I have yet to see that" (here, she paused and blushed a bit), "but as long as his performance doesn't echo last week's – very dodgy, the whole broom business…"

            Anna liked Julie right away, and could see why studious, shy Ophelia idolized her. And she was very beautiful, but no more so than Ophelia. They looked quite similar, both with long, pale blond hair – as did Beatrice, Ophelia's next oldest sister. Anna found herself wondering if Desdemona was the same way.

            Then, the match had begun. Up in the air the teams flew. Anna felt rather impartial about this game, though she knew Gryffindor had a stronger side, she had friends in Hufflepuff. 

            Almost immediately, a penalty was called on Gryffindor, for one of the Weasley beaters aiming a bludger at Snape. ("Drat!" Mandy had cried as it narrowly missed him) Julie began to nod grimly. "Oh, George – don't give him anything to play on!" she shouted through cupped hands. A few moments later, another penalty was awarded against Gryffindor, this time for no apparent reason. Julie buried her head in her hands. "I can't watch," she muttered. "Please tell me when it's over, Phelia." Ophelia patted her sister on the back in a consoling way. 

            Then, the crowd around them rose. The Gryffindor seeker had obviously spotted something – he was diving, faster now –  he had almost hit Snape – Julie raised her head from her hands to watch – and then he had it. Harry Potter soared up over the ground, hand raised high, snitch tightly grasped in his fist.

            There was a sudden roar as all the Gryffindor's began to cheer. Anna couldn't help it, she joined in as well. Turning to Julie, she asked, "Are they usually this fast?"

            Julie shook her head, still standing up on her seat, clapping. "Never – it's got to be some sort of school record – Wonderful job! Bravo!"

*                      *                      *

By Wednesday, talk of Quidditch had worn down again. Roger could be seen more often in the common room, his team mates by his side. He looked rather worried, Anna noted. Mandy explained to her that this was because Gryffindor's victory against Hufflepuff left them the highest ranked team at the moment, and this meant that Ravenclaw would not only have to beat Slytherin (they had already played Hufflepuff, right before Christmas Break), but Gryffindor in the last game of the season as well. And the odds were looking slimmer after Harry Potter's performance in Saturdays game. The Ravenclaw team could be seen down on the field, practicing in even the worst conditions. The match against Slytherin was only a month away. This seemed a long time to Anna, but Roger assured her it was not.

 And yet, time dragged on slowly. Anna waited through all of Thursday's lessons impatiently, not fully paying attention for the first time. She let her mind wander down to the forest, down to the unicorns. How was Aurora doing, she wondered, and Perseus? She was going back to visit them tonight, against her better judgment. She knew she should stay in the castle, where it was safe, but she couldn't help feeling as if Aurora would be disappointed if she didn't visit, especially now, with Perseus. The unicorn had sought her out for some reason, and even if Anna didn't know what it was, she was quite happy to play along.

That night, she lay in bed dressed, pretending to be asleep. She waited for an hour after the last curtain had closed. Then, silently, she crept down the common room, where she laced up her boots. Out along the quiet corridor she walked, pausing occasionally to listen for footsteps. It was quite lucky she did this, as turning a corner on the third floor, she heard the echo of heavy footfalls. She ducked inside an empty classroom, and waited, holding her breath. Through the crack between the hinges, she watched as Professor Snape swept by. What was he doing out this time of night? Anna would have to be more careful. She counted the minutes in her head, until at long last, she was sure he was gone. Then she made her way down to the main hall, and out the great doors.

The forest seemed less foreboding than it had on her last visit, but Anna was still careful to not make a sound as she walked down the brush-strewn path. After a good half-hour, she was met with the welcome sound of running water. This time, Aurora was at the edge of the clearing to meet her. Anna hugged the unicorn, stroking her neck gently. Then she crouched to pet Perseus as well. He was now standing, still on rather wobbly legs. Anna grinned as he nuzzled her face, trying to chew at her nose.

"Stop that," she laughed, the animal's warm tongue licking her face.

She didn't stay very long, but when she left, Aurora escorted her to the edge of the forest, then trod off into the woods, baby at her side. Smiling, Anna turned to walk back up to the castle. But just then, a monstrous hand clasped her shoulder from behind.

 After she finished screaming, she swept around to face a very startled looking Hagrid, boarhound at his side. "What're you doin' out here at this time'o the night? At any time for that matter!"

            "Oh, Hagrid," cried Anna, a bit angrily, "you nearly scared me to death."

            "I don' have to bother with that, the way yer sneaking about in the Forest after dark. You coulda been killed!"

            "Not with the unicorns! They wouldn't let anything happen to me." 

A look of relief swept across Hagrid's broad face, followed by a look of concern. "So that's what you've bin after. Look, Miss Anna, unicorns are powerful creatures, an' they can mind themselves. But there're also dangerous things in these woods, an' they're not quite as concerned with the safety of a firs' year wizard. Promise me you won' go in the Forbidden Forest by yer self again."

"But Hagrid-,"Anna protested.

"Promise?" he repeated. His dark eyes gazed pleadingly into hers.

"Oh, all right" Anna sighed.

"Good then. I'll walk ye up to the castle."

The next week was a rather miserable one. News of Anna's Friday night detentions traveled somehow, and by Tuesday's Herbology lesson, Pansy Parkinson had heard. She dropped by the dittany that the Ravenclaws were inspecting.

"Oh, the help can't even stay awake in class anymore," simpered Pansy, under her breath. "Think you'll be expelled Anna? Then you can go spend time with that Hagrid beast – help be a game keeper. That is what you want, isn't it? Hanging out by the forbidden forest – yes, you're a goner!"

Anna paled at this remark. How could Pansy know about her escapades in the forest? Hagrid hadn't told her, had he? She would have to be more careful.

She was still mulling over Pansy's words as the club walked into the entrance hall together, Padma and Ophelia now happily chatting away with Susan and Hannah as well. Professor Dumbledore crossed the Great Hall in front of them, and to Anna's shock, stopped as they filed neatly in the doorway, and addressed her.

"Hello, Miss Moon." Anna was astounded that he knew her name, although she supposed a moment later that it was his job. "How are your classes going?" He asked her, eyes twinkling.

"Er – fine sir." If she had been more prepared, she certainly would have tried to find a way to lodge a complaint against Professor Snape's treatment of her classmates, though at the moment, Anna thought it best not to implicate herself. Dumbledore, however, seemed  to read her mind.

"Finding Potions any more interesting lately?" he inquired. Anna blushed, but Dumbledore smiled kindly. "Professor Snape told me of your tendency to – er – drop off in his class. But I do say, you might find other subjects more fascinating. I took the liberty of borrowing this from Madam Pince. Hagrid told me you were quite interested in magical creatures, especially unicorns. Perhaps this book will intrigue you…" he pulled a heavy volume from his robes. Anna stared up at him, dumbfounded, but the Headmaster only smiled, and turned to leave. Anna was still staring when he turned. 

"And Miss Moon, please do take care of yourself. The grounds of Hogwarts are quite enjoyable, but I would advise you _not_ to visit certain parts after-hours, or at any time alone." He tapped his crescent shaped glasses once, then swept away up the great staircase, leaving Anna standing there, a copy of '_Nature's Unique Magical Species ~ A Complete Guide; from Werewolves to Unicorns_' clasped in her hands.


	16. The Problem With Pansy

The Problem With Pansy

            After Dumbledore's warning, Anna didn't dare try to sneak out the following Thursday. 

            She stared out the window of the tower mournfully, watching for a while to see if Aurora would appear. But she did not, so with a sigh, Anna returned to bed, and began to read the book Dumbledore had given her by wand light. '_Nature's Unique Magical Species ~ A Complete Guide; from Werewolves to Unicorns_' turned out to be a fascinating book, and Anna was up reading it for as long as she would have been in the forest with the real creatures. She learned much about the history of unicorns, and when Perseus should be turning silver, growing his horn, and all that. She skipped over the other species, but even so, she didn't get to sleep until two o'clock in the morning.

            She was able to stay awake in potions again, though she spent most of the time daydreaming about unicorns, writing down the amount of billywig stings for a soaring solution incorrectly. Luckily, Padma checked over her notes after class, and corrected her. The Ravenclaw girls were all quite eager to look out for one another in each one's worst subject, and Potions was definitely Anna's.

On Saturday Anna received a thank you from Linnea, which made her smile. _"Dear Anna,"_ it said, _"Thank you so much for the Christmas gift… I can't believe you still remember me. I hope you're doing well at school, and learning lots. Sending letters by owl – it must be marvelous! I didn't know whether or not to let it in when it tapped on my window, but then I saw the parcel, and I'm so glad I did. Merry Christmas, and God Bless… Linnea Grey" _She wondered how Linnea was really doing though – she made no mention of the Snydley-Pinkenweilers. 

            She was musing over her friends letter under the desk in potions, when Pansy waltzed by, on the way to drop the roots she had been cutting in the dustbin. "Haven't fallen asleep again, have you Moon? Decided you don't want to help Hagrid after all? What a pity, you'd make a better groundskeeper than a witch," she hissed as she passed the Ravenclaw's table.

At this, Lisa spoke up, her cheeks tinged with red. "Just because Draco hasn't bothered to look your way all year is no reason to try to make other peoples lives as miserable as your own, _Pansy_."

She had obviously hit a sore spot. For a moment, Pansy blanched, but then her piggy little eyes narrowed, and a wicked smirk came over her pug-face.

"What were you saying to me, little orphan girl? I heard all about your dead mummy, you know, _half-blood_," she hissed.

            At this, Anna turned to Lisa, who was suddenly as white as a sheet. Lisa had never mentioned her mother, and Anna had never bothered to ask. It was a rather uncomfortable subject to bring up, and Anna knew what it was like, not wanting to think about one's absent parents. But was Pansy right? From the shocked look on Lisa's face, Anna didn't doubt that she was. But where had she heard? Her parents? Her friends? Draco Malfoy?

Lisa gathered her things in her bag, and ran from the classroom in tears.

"Oh, dear," said Professor Sprout, following her out the door. "Are you alright, Miss Turpin?" she called out to Lisa's fleeting back.

Anna stood, but Professor Sprout beckoned her to sit back down with her hand. "I'm sorry Miss Moon, but it will have to wait until after class." She said this in a sympathetic manner, but still, Anna spent the rest of Herbology in a huff.

Padma glared in Pansy's direction, unusually pale herself. "We need to do something, before the year is out. I move that the next meeting is dedicated to the plot against Pansy."

            Ophelia's eyes darted around the room frantically at the mention of the word 'meeting', but no one had been listening. Pansy was now chatting away to her friend Morag, laughing at Lisa's reaction. "I second the motion."

            Mandy and Anna murmured their assent as well.

            After Herbology, Anna tore up the lawn to the castle, Padma, Ophelia and Mandy right on her heels. They checked the dorm, the common room, the owlery, the Great Hall, and most of the bathrooms before they found her, in a gloomy, deserted bathroom on the second floor. She was leaning over a toilet in a stall that was missing it's door, sobbing with her head in her arms. Anna was the first to approach her.

            "Lisa?" she whispered uncertainly.

            "Go away, Anna," came the sobbed response. "I just want to be left alone."

            Anna stood there for a moment, uncertain of what to do. But then, she walked into the stall, and knelt behind Lisa, putting a hand on her shoulder.

            "It's okay Lisa."

            "N – o – It's – s n – not," she sobbed, face still buried.

            Anna stood up, crossing her arms, and decided to try a different tack. "Lisa," she said, her voice now firm, "I'm quite disappointed in you."

            At this, Lisa looked up.

            "I can't believe you let Pansy get the better of you, no matter what she said. We're Ravenclaws, we're better than her stinking Slytherin pug-nosed face any day."

            The other three listened with bated breath.

            Lisa managed a slight smile. "Say it again?" she pleaded.

            "What, the part about her ugly, pug-nosed, slimy face that not even another Slytherin can like?"

            "Yes, that's it."

            "How she looks and smells like a pig?" Mandy added hopefully.

            "More like the Snydley-Pinkenweiler's pugs when they need to be let out to use the bathroom," commented Anna.

            "And how she's failing Herbology, because she's too busy trying to impress Draco by being a prick?" said Padma, getting into it as well.

            "How she would love to kiss his 'ittle-bittle slimy facey-poo?" gushed Mandy through puckered lips, before letting out a loud smack.

            Lisa giggled, the streams of tears now shining as they dried on her face.

            "How if they got married and had children, they would have to register them with the Department of Magical Catastrophes at the Ministry?" chimed in Ophelia, grinning as well.

            "And then they'd call in the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures?" said Padma, eyes closed, imagining the scene with glee.

            "Is there a department for the disposal of _ugly_ creatures?" Mandy wondered, "because if so, we'd better file a report soon. Pansy's getting worse and worse each day."

            By this point, all the girls were grinning. 

            "Come on, Lisa, let's go get lunch. I'm starved." Mandy led her out, and the others followed them down to the Great Hall. Walking a step behind, Padma muttered under her breath, "And if I see Pansy, I'm going to give her a bruiser she won't forget soon, teachers or not…"

            Ophelia tsked at this. "We'll be much better off if we plan this carefully, and humiliate her instead of harming her. Punishment is much less likely that way, and I think the wound will smart for longer as well." Anna shook her head in silent agreement.

            It was a rather solemn meeting that month. Lisa opened by telling them all what Pansy had so briefly mentioned – the story of her mother's death. Anna was glad that the candles had been dimmed, as it was harder to see each others faces in the low light.

"Dad is a Muggle," Lisa began, a bit shakily, "I've told you that much. But Mum was a witch. She was in Ravenclaw when she was at school – Dad was really happy I was put in her house. Anyway, about a year after we – I mean, after I was born – a really bad wizard was rising in power." She looked up at the silent group. "This is the story Dad told me. Obviously, I've learned more about it since I've been at Hogwarts, but for ten years I didn't know." Looking down at her hands again, she continued. "So You-Know-Who was rising, and killing lots of wizards. Harry Potter's parents are the most famous of course, being the last. Dad came home from work one day – he works at a paper, that's how met Mum – and he said that there was this horrible green skull over the house. He said he didn't really understand what it meant at the time, Mum had told him about You-Know-Who and all, but not about the Dark Mark – that's the skull thing," she explained to Anna. "But he came into the house, and there were wizards from the ministry sitting there. They told him that Mum – that Mum had disappeared. But her bedroom was a horrible mess – books on the floor, perfume bottles broken and scattered, the mirror cracked. They figure she was dead, that her body had been taken, or transfigured, or something." Lisa stopped, and swallowed deeply before continuing. "They asked Dad if he wanted a memory charm, to forget about it, to be offered some Muggle explanation, like a car crash or something to remember. But he refused. Then he remembered, and ran upstairs. I was in my room, fast asleep. But the others were gone. There had been three of us…" here Lisa's voice trailed off into silence. Nobody spoke. When Anna looked up, she saw Ophelia's face buried in her arms. Mandy was shaking, and staring down at her feet. Only Padma was staring straight at Lisa's half-shadowed face, horror-struck. Anna looked back down, feeling a tear slid along the edge of her nose. Had her parents disappeared the same way?

To put their plan into action, the girls first needed a sample of Draco's handwriting. They decided that Ophelia would be best for the job, as she would be able to get the closest to Draco, being a pure-blood from a well-known family. In fact, the idea she had come up with was to trap him by using his hatred of those not like him – to ask him for his signature on a petition to slowly weed out Muggle-born students from Hogwarts. So on Tuesday, the other four waited outside the door as everyone left the greenhouse. They heard a sudden ripping sound as they exited – Ophelia must have cast the spell to rip open the bottom of Draco's bag and delay him. They heard him curse lowly, heard him tell his friends Crabbe and Goyle to wait up. Then they heard Ophelia's sweet voice.

            "Excuse me, Draco?"

            There was a pause. The girls held their breath, waiting. Then – 

            "What do you want." – in a very annoyed tone.

            "I need signatures for my petition. It's for getting rid of all the riff-raff they let in the school these days. And I _know_ that it's a cause you go for."

            Silence. Then – "Go on…"

            There was a rustle of papers. "See, it's a plan for slowly weeding out those whose parents are both Muggles."

            "What about those Mudbloods you hang out with?"

            Padma gritted her teeth. "Why that little…"

            Ophelia continued on coolly. "Oh, no… all of my friends are at least half-wizard to start out with. No one is perfect, you know. No, what I'm really against is those who have no prior experience – well, you know – in _our_  world."

            Anna stifled a giggle, seeing Ophelia toss her hair in her mind's eye.

            "Like that Muggle Granger?"

            "Er – exactly!" Anna supposed he must be talking about a Gryffindor by the name of Hermione Granger. Anna knew her by sight, she was supposed to get top marks in all her classes, but as the Ravenclaws shared no subjects with the Gryffindors, she didn't know her personally.

            Draco's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Sure, I'll sign – do you have a quill – oh, thanks…"

            "Feel free to add any comments," added Ophelia, over the sound of the scratching pen. "Oh, splendid… all done? Well, thank you for your time, I will be presenting this to Professor Dumbledore as soon as I get fifty signatures or more…"

            "Here," interrupted Draco, "I'll sign for them too." Anna presumed he was talking about his sidekicks. Mandy jerked her head for them to creep around the side of the green house, out of sight of the door.

            A few minutes later, Ophelia came around the corner, smiling.

"Did you get it?" Mandy asked breathlessly. 

            Ophelia's eyes sparkled as she retrieved the piece of parchment from her bag. 

            "Brilliant!" said Padma, examining it. "The stupid git even added comments." She squinted her eyes, deciphering his messy hand. "_Expel Granger. She has no business being here. Then continue on to Weasley and Potter, the muggle lovers._ He added them at the bottom so that they can't be attributed to him, the coward. And look, he signed for Crabbe and Goyle as well. I bet they can't even sign their own names…"

            They continued up to the castle, laughing over the stupid things Malfoy had said even after Ophelia had neatly folded the parchment and put it safely back in her bag.

*                      *                      *                      *

Much note writing took place in the Ravenclaw tower that night. There was the one to Pansy, forged in Draco's hand, from a 'secret admirer', telling her to meet him in the owlery at Midnight, where he would express his 'true feelings for her'. There was much sniggering over this on all parts, as there was over the second note, pasted together with letters from the Daily Prophet. This note was addressed to Argus Filch, the diabolical care-taker, who rejoiced in finding students out of bed after hours. And finally, there was the one to Draco. The Ravenclaw's were uncertain over whether or not he would fall for it. It didn't matter really, but his appearance in the tower right before Filch arrived would be the proverbial icing on the cake.

It was decided, much to Anna's dismay, that the Thursday night before the Ravenclaw-Slytherin quidditch match would be the opportune time to pull such a prank. It was the third week since Anna had been caught by Hagrid, and she was quite glad to have her mind pulled away from the Forbidden Forest. She concentrated on the plot at hand, and found time to work on her Potions essay, much to the relief of the other Ravenclaws.

Before anyone had expected, the week before the match came swinging around. The girls slunk in to the Herbology greenhouse early Tuesday morning. While Mandy and Lisa engaged Professor Sprout in a conversation about the Flutterby Bushes they had pruned last class, Padma slipped the note in Pansy's usual desk. The others slowly filed in, and class began. Anna didn't dare to look in Pansy's direction. Instead, she murmured to Mandy, who was facing the Slytherins, "Has she found it yet?"

Mandy shook her head grimly, and continued tying up the twigs of the bush. 

It seemed that Pansy would have gone the entire class without noticing the letter had it not been for some quick thinking on Ophelia's part. With five minutes left to go, the Ravenclaw girls were becoming desperate. Padma's eyes kept flickering over to Pansy, who was laughing nastily along with Morag and Millicent. Ophelia had been fingering her wand for quite some time, and as Professor Sprout called the class over to examine an incorrectly pruned plant, she had her chance. Ophelia flicked her wand, and murmured a few quick words, and the twine Pansy had been using slid neatly into Pansy's desk, right on top of the letter.

Lisa gave her an elated smile, and Padma mouthed _"brilliant!"_ over the heads of the other students who were gathering round the far table. Anna crossed her fingers in her pockets.

When they returned to the table, the girls didn't dare look at Pansy. They busied themselves with the twine, trussing up the plant a bit more than necessary. Anna barely turned her head, and watched out of the far corner of her eye. Pansy was looking around, confused. Then, she spotted the twine. She grabbed for it, not watching – and the note fell to the floor. Padma raised her eyes to the heavens with a pleading glance.

Pansy stopped. She had noticed the note. Bending over, she picked it up, brushing the dirt off it, and glanced around to see if anyone was watching. The Ravenclaw girls busied themselves with the bush. Pansy unfolded the note under the desk – and her pig-like face lit up in delight. Just then, Professor Sprout announced the homework. Anna scribbled it down joyously. Phase one was complete.

For Draco's note, Lisa and Anna went up to the owlery, found the plainest brown school owl they could find, and attached the letter to his leg, with firm instructions to deliver it at breakfast on Wednesday. Thursday morning, Padma and Mandy crept up to Filch's office and carefully slid the note under the door, praying he would look down at his lovely clean floors as he entered.

All was set in place. Now all the girls could do was watch and wait. Defense Against the Dark Arts seemed to drag on forever, Anna tucked her unicorn book inside her textbook, and read that all period. Unicorns were not dark creatures, perhaps, but Anna justified this by skimming over the section on werewolves and vampires. Professor Snape looked a good deal like the vampire shown in the book, Anna mused. She pointed this out to Lisa and Mandy, sliding them a note tucked in it's pages while Professor Quirrell was writing on the board. Mandy laughed silently, and passed the book on to Padma and Ophelia, while Lisa sketched a drawing of Snape hanging upside-down, like an ugly bat.

It was not until dinner that they heard the rumor – Filch had caught a Slytherin first year in the owlery at Midnight, and given them detention for a full week, and 100 points from Slytherin. Apparently Draco had not been stupid enough to fall for the prank, but Pansy had. Anna watched her throughout dinner. She was sitting over at the Slytherin table, far more subdued than normal, not speaking to the rest of the Slytherins, or perhaps, not being spoken to. As they passed by, Padma couldn't help but call out, "Heard about your hot date the other night, Pansy. Looks like you found yourself another one – with Filch!" Several people, including Pansy's friend, Morag MacDougal, tittered at this. The Ravenclaw's walked from the hall, shaking with laughter.

"Did you see her face? She turned positively green!"

"Well, I suppose so. A pity her lover boy never showed…"

They climbed the stairs quite satisfied with themselves.

The next item of attention was the Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, due to be played tomorrow afternoon. To go on for a chance at the Quidditch cup, Slytherin had to win this match. But if Ravenclaw beat either Slytherin _or_ Gryffindor, they had a shot at winning the cup.

Roger had been looking increasingly worried each time Anna saw him over the past week. She grinned at him as they passed in the common room on Friday afternoon, but he stared right past her, in a daze. His hair was mussed, as if he hadn't brushed it in days, and dark circles were forming under his eyes. Anna had been chatting with Lisa and Cho Chang as he passed. Cho just shook her head.

"He needs to get some sleep for the match, I keep telling him, but he's too worried. Bridget Dunstan, you know, our newest chaser, had a bad sprain last practice. Madame Pomfrey healed it just fine, of course, but it put a lot of strain on the team. Oh, dear… we've just got to win you know," she said with an unhappy sigh.

Anna nodded grimly. 

The next morning, all of the school assembled on the Quidditch pitch. The mood seemed much less celebratory than the Slytherin-Gryffindor match though – the Slytherin team had to win this one, as did the Ravenclaws, for beating Gryffindor seemed a far slimmer chance. The usual jabs and sneers were present, but the happy laughter – at least from the members of the two houses involved – was not. 

The first-year girls carried the banner that Lisa and Padma had made that morning down to the field, and unfurled it in the stands. Padma's hair was braided with ribbons of bright blue, and she had done the same with Anna and Ophelia's. Lisa's hair was not quite long enough for a braid, so she wore her ribbon as a headband, tied in a lop-sided bow. Mandy, who's hair was boyishly short, wore her ribbon around her waist. They stood in the bleachers, waiting…

And then the teams were off. Lee Jordan, a Gryffindor was commentating, less biased than he had been for his own houses match. Still, the Gryffindor enmity with the Slytherins was obvious.

"And they're off… Ravenclaw gains possession of the Quaffle as Ravenclaw Captain Phelps takes off up the field… there's the pass to Dunstan – intercepted by Flint… looks as if he's playing on her recent injury there… Slytherin pass to Pucey – Oh, nice job Capper! Ravenclaw beater sends a bludger his way there… Quaffle picked up by Davies… pass off to Dunstan – no, it was a fake, not bad at all Davies! Dodges Bletchley – RAVENCLAW SCORES, 10 to 0!"

"Go Roger!" Anna yelled through cupped hands. Padma whooped loudly, and the others cheered and applauded along.

"Slytherin takes the Quaffle… pass to Warrington, intercepted by Phelps… OH, WATCH THAT BLUDGER! Phelps gets a bloody nose from a Bole Bludger. Flint picks up the Quaffle… look out there, McKinnion! – And he scores, game 10 even."

The Slytherin end of the field erupted into cheers. Anna watched the players, zooming high above, and chewed her lip. Laurie McKinnion, the Ravenclaw seeker, pulled a tight loop mid-air in frustration. Roger yelled something at her that Anna could not hear above the roar of the crowd. "C'mon, Roger," Anna whispered, "come on!"

Play began again, with Phelps passing off to Dunstan, Dunstan looping Derrick, a Slytherin beater, Dunstan passing off to Phelps, who had come around in back of the beaters… Now Phelps turned sharply, heading toward the goals… he passed off to Roger, flying below the Beaters, who passed back up…

"PHELPS SCORES! 20 to 10, in favor of Ravenclaw."

Slytherin started once more with possession, found their way into the Ravenclaw goal area. All three Chasers ploughed in toward Laurie McKinnion, Sabrina Rabnott aimed a bludger their way, but it only deterred Warrington… Pucey and Flint were now even with the goal…

A shrill whistle sounded from Madam Hooch. "That's right!" cried Mandy, "no stooging the Keeper!" Ravenclaw was given two penalties, both of which Phelps put neatly through the goals. The score was now 40-10 Ravenclaw…

Just then, Ophelia cried out… "Oh! Look!" Everyone raised their eyes to the seekers.

"Oh, it looks like Higgs has spotted the snitch… Boothby right on his tail… Higgs gaining fast now – BLUDGER FROM RABNOTT – Great work Sabrina!" The Ravenclaw beater grinned with relief. But in that moment, the snitch had disappeared. Duncan Boothby, the Ravenclaw seeker, continued to circle the pitch, looking for signs from above, but it had vanished.

The match began to get dirtier. Once again Flint tried to knock Dunstan off her broom, resulting in a Ravenclaw penalty. Bridget took it, and made the shot. 50-10 Ravenclaw. Adrian Pucey started a shoving match with Roger in mid-air, which resulted in a penalty for both sides. Roger made his… Pucey was up, Laurie prepared herself to dive…

But just then, two streaks, one blue, one green, zoomed between the goal and the Slytherin Chaser. Both teams turned to watch. The green was closer… but the blue was catching up… now he was even…

Silas Capper swung the bludger with all his might. The direction was good, it caught the tail of Terence Higgs broom, sending him spinning off into space, barely clutching his broom…

            Duncan Boothby pulled out of the dive, a grin on his face, the snitch clasped tightly in his hands. "RAVENCLAW WINS, 200 POINTS TO TEN!" The stadium erupted in cheers, even the Hufflepuffs and the Gryffindors were happy to see Slytherin defeated. To the Ravenclaw girls, leaping about and hugging one another, it was the crowning glory on an already wonderful weekend.

            Looking back, Anna should have known it was all too good to last.

            The Ravenclaw girls were going up to the tower to send letters home. Ophelia had gone into a particularly long description for her younger sister, and Mandy and Padma each had written their parents thoughtful little notes on how they were doing and how school was going. None mentioned, of course, the brilliant trick they had managed to pull on Pansy.

            They were fairly high up before they began to hear voices ahead of them. It was not unusual for several people to be in the owlery at once, and the girls thought nothing of it. They laughed their way up the winding staircase. Then Mandy, who was leading the group stopped suddenly in the doorway of the owlery, causing Lisa to bump into her. Three students were standing by the window – Pansy Parkinson and her friends Millicent Bulstrode and Morag MacDougal. Pansy turned with a sneer on her face.

            "Well, if it isn't the Ravenclaw girls," she sneered, "up to celebrate their many victories."

       "Bugger off Pansy," said Padma, glaring. "We're just here to deliver our letters. You leave us alone – we leave you alone. Understood?"

            "Oh, I understand perfectly – Mudblood lover…"

            Mandy clenched her fists. "What did you say, Parkinson?"

            "You heard me, Brocklehurst."

            Padma stepped forward. "I am giving you to the count of ten," she said, her voice soft and dangerous, "to leave this room."

            Pansy hesitated, then waved her friends on. With sullen glances, they filed past the Ravenclaws, who were now standing in the center of the room. But as Pansy passed Anna, she suddenly turned, and sprung, hands going toward her neck.

            Anna tried to pull her wand, but Pansy's movement had been too unexpected. Perhaps she had meant to grab Anna's necklace, but her hands clenched onto something much closer. Anna gasped as she felt the clasp of her mother's locket snap. Pansy stepped back, red faced and panting, but with a look of triumph on her face.

            Anna got to her feet slowly and shakily, not wanting to make any sudden movement. The owlery was deathly still, aside from the rustle of feathers from above. "Pansy," said Anna in a low shaky voice, "please give it back."

            Malice flashed in Pansy's little eyes, and she pretended to consider. "Um, let me think. How about … no!"

            "Give it back now, Parkinson," growled Padma, stepping forward.

            Pansy quickly stepped away from Padma, toward the window and extended her arm, the locket dangling from it. Her yellow curls bobbed as she laughed coldly. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, Patil. Don't want your precious friend's lucky charm tossed out the window, do you?"

            A sound somewhere between a sob and a gasp escaped Anna's lips. "No," she whispered. "Pansy, please…"

            "Say you're sorry," Pansy said, clearing enjoying Anna's agony.

            Anna looked up into Pansy's beady eyes imploringly. "I'm sorry," she said, clearly as possible.

            Pansy stepped toward her, and for a glorious second, Anna actually thought the Slytherin was going to return her locket. But then, in one swift movement, she raised her arm and chucked it out the window. Anna raced over, as did the other Ravenclaws, just in time to see the necklace hit the surface of the murky lake far below, and vanish beneath the water. Anna fell to her knees, trembling all over. There was a sudden scuffle behind her – Padma had thrown herself at Pansy, and was wrestling the Slytherin to the ground. Pansy managed to get a good chunk of Padma's long hair and give it a yank, but Padma's fist connected with Pansy's left eye-socket, and she let go, squealing.

            Lisa, meanwhile, had her hands full with Millicent Bulstrode, who had her in a headlock. While Mandy wrestled the larger girl off, Ophelia pulled her wand on Morag, in a silent challenge. Morag didn't move – she knew what sort of marks the Fawcett girls received in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Anna knew she should help her friends, but she was frozen on the spot.

            Just then, Professor McGonagall burst in. Perhaps she had just come up to deliver an owl as well, Anna thought later, but perhaps she had known. Professor McGonagall seemed to have a nose for sniffing out trouble. "Girls!" she exclaimed. "_What_ is the meaning of this?"

            Padma got to her feet, her dark eyes burning with rage. "Professor – Pansy stole Anna's necklace, and threw it into the lake."

            McGonagall's eyes flew to Pansy. "Is this true?" Pansy didn't answer, so Professor McGonagall repeated the question in a much sharper tone. "Is this true, Miss Parkinson?" Pansy muttered something indistinct. McGonagall's nostrils flared. "Twenty points from Slytherin for you, Miss Parkinson, and ten each from Bulstrode and MacDougal. And there will be no arguments," she raised her voice as Pansy opened her mouth. "You should have considered the consequences before you started this fight. Now go. I will have a word with Professor Snape about this incident, have no doubts about that!" The three Slytherins turned with bowed heads, and slouched off down the tower stairs. McGonagall turned to the five girls, her face very white and pinched."

            "Now – what has gone on here?"

            "If you please, Ma'am," said Ophelia, stepping forward. "Pansy has been attempting to engage us in a conflict all year. She has been calling Anna and Lisa all sorts of names. Perhaps we were in the wrong a bit too, but she just stole Anna's locket, and threw it into the lake, and it belonged…" Ophelia broke off, not certain if she should tell. McGonagall blinked, looking round the circle.

            "Go on…" But none of the girls wanted to say anything, They avoided Professor McGonagall's eye. "Miss Moon, would you like to tell me?"

            "It was my mother's," said Anna, strangely calm. Her found she could not cry; she felt as if a boulder had slammed into her and knocked her down, leaving her quite dazed. McGonagall's hand flew to her mouth, but she quickly lowered it, almost embarrassed by the sudden motion.

            "Oh, my dear… I am sorry." She gazed at Anna for a moment, with a funny look on her face. Was it pity? Then she turned to the others. "However, you were fighting, which is against school rules. But because you were provoked, I will only take twenty points from Ravenclaw… for all four of you. Are you quite all right, Miss Moon?" Lisa stepped over and helped Anna to her feet. Anna stared at McGonagall, strangely numb.

            "Yes," she responded.

            "Then you are free to go. I will be informing Professor Flitwick of what has happened, but I will suggest no further punishment," she added. Padma scowled. Lisa held Anna's arm, leading her to the door. The Ravenclaw girls processed to the door, and walked silently to the suit of armor on the third floor. "Papilio Lacrimosus ," said Ophelia, quietly. Anna walked through the common room without a word, gazing directly ahead, and headed up the staircase to her room. Once there, she closed her curtains, and curled up into a small ball beside Greymalkin. The kitten snuggled up against her, purring gently. Only then did the tears come.


	17. Danger in the Forbidden Forest

Danger in the Forbidden Forest

Anna was rather quiet for the weeks following the incident with Pansy. The other girls were worried about her, but didn't quite know what to say to make her feel better. They spoke in hushed tones around her, as if someone had just died, which made Anna only feel worse. They had even cancelled the meeting for May, something that none of them had ever dreamed of before. Anna just didn't care. She shut herself up behind her bed curtains often, reading Ophelia's books, one after the other, by the light of her wand. Each night following dinner, she would go up to the room in silence and go to bed. However, even sleep gave her no peace.

She was being pulled down, farther and farther. There was screaming, and a terrible, cold laugh that froze Anna's blood. She couldn't breathe. The darkness was swallowing her, engulfing her, turning her into nothing but blackness.

Anna awoke from the horrible dream, shaking and covered in a cold sweat. She shuddered, and wrapped her blankets tightly around her neck. She had managed to kick them off during the dream, and the spring air was still chilly at night. Drawing back the curtains that surrounded her bed with a shaky hand, she looked at the room around her, distorted by the shadows of night. A friendly beam of moonlight was cast upon the floor, through the closed window, a pattern formed on the stones by the swirls of the glass. The four other beds stood solemnly around the edges of the circular room, not a sound from any of them. Anna had a sudden sense of déjà vu… this felt just like the night in late November that she had been enticed to sneak out of the castle to meet Aurora for the first time.

In her sleepiness, she mused a bit about the unicorn and the strangeness of their relationship. Why Aurora called to her – for called _was_ the only way to put it – rather than say, Lisa, or Susan Bones? What did it find in her that was special? Or perhaps it was all a grand accident. She couldn't say. The after-effects of the nightmare were already beginning to wear off, she could hardly remember the dream now. Perhaps she would sneak out, just once, to see Aurora. It couldn't hurt – she had done it many times before, and had only been caught once. Silently, she got out of bed, and slipped her cloak on over her nightgown. Sliding her feet into her loafers, she tiptoed out of the room, and down the stairs to the revolving bookcase.

The Forest seemed darker than ever this night, though the light of an almost full moon cast its beams eerily on the blackened trees. Anna shuddered, and gathered her cloak around her closer. She had worn a small path over the period of the past few weeks, through the brush and brambles that covered the forest floor.

She stopped to gaze up at the moon. It was lovely – lighting up the sky with its pale beams. She sighed as she returned her gaze to the path in front of her. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted a glimpse of silver. Could it be? Quickly, she stooped down, her fingers reaching toward the silver.

She stopped, frowning, and lifted her hand. Her finger had not come in contact with anything solid – like her locket, as she had hoped. Instead, the silver now clung to her fingers. It was a rather thick liquid. Anna racked her brain for any potions ingredient that looked as this did, wishing she had paid more attention in class. Very curious. She stared at her fingertips, now glittering in the moonlight. A branch snapped nearby. Anna glanced around nervously. She better be going along. It was never a good idea to stand in one place in the Forbidden Forest.

She continued along the trail, squinting her eyes at the drops of silver that seemed to be growing thicker along the path, like small lakes. Her curiosity grew with each step, and soon she found herself jogging, then running along with a sudden sense of urgency. A dark heaviness pressed on her heart. She had to discover the source of the silver – and soon. It came now in large pools. Anna raced through the black trees, her heart pounding. Finally she reached a clearing – and stopped dead.

There, in the light of the moon, lay a gleaming white figure, totally still. Anna took a shaking step toward it, looking for the rise and fall of the creature's sides, but it was as if the unicorn had been carved out a gleaming piece of perfect marble. Then she saw the thin line of silver across its neck.

"Aurora?" she whispered, her voice trembling. She took a few faltering steps to the unicorns side before falling to her knees. She touched her friend's once warm nose. It was as smooth as ever, but very cold. A shuddering gasp escaped Anna's lips. She turned and ran.

Anna flew back out through the forest, her mind set on one thing, and one thing alone. She _had_ to get help. Aurora couldn't be allowed to die. She arrived at the edge of the forest, breaking free of the darkness of the thick trees. The sudden brightness of the grounds in the moonlight startled her – she had not realized she had gone so far. But she collected herself once more, sprinting to the hut where she knew Hagrid, the grounds keeper lived. She pounded on the door, and cried out loud.

"Hagrid, come quick! It's Aurora, she's hurt!"

Hagrid appeared at the cottage door, his dark eyes almost as wild as his hair, looking in every direction for the source of the noise. He was holding his crossbow, and his large boarhound was at his side. Finally his eyes cast on Anna's small shape, and he squinted into the darkness. "Anna?"

"Hagrid!" she cried, rushing forward into the doorway and tugging on his arm. "You've got to come and help – Aurora is injured! She's bleeding, Hagrid, oh, you've got to come and help!" With this Anna took off toward the forest, Hagrid lumbering after her. He caught up with her at the forest edge, his long strides overtaking her shorter ones. 

"Yeh listen to me, Anna. Yeh go back to my hut, now, an' bolt the door." Anna began to protest, but he shook his head and looked at her with such a serious expression that she faltered. "No arguin'. If a unicorn's bin hurt, somethin's not right…"

The next thirty minutes were the longest half-hour of Anna's life. She kept hopping up to the window, gasping at every sound that came from outside the hut. Her fingers were red from twisting them in her robes, but Anna did not notice. She sat on the edge of Hagrid's gigantic armchair, trying to hold back the tears. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she heard a dog's bark outside the hut. She ran to the door, and flung it open, unable to wait for the news.

"Hagrid!" she cried. "Where's Aurora – she's alright, isn't she? She has to be… did you find her? Did you help her?"

Hagrid lowered his shaggy head, and Anna's heart sunk. Still, she refused to accept it.

"Hagrid – she is alright?" she asked, this time in a whisper.

Hagrid shook his head, and Anna stood there staring at him, at a complete loss for words. 

"I'm sorry Anna. There wasn' anything to do – she's gone."

Anna felt nothing as Hagrid walked her back to the front door of the castle. She was completely numb. Aurora, dead? It couldn't be true. She turned back toward the forest, as if to run toward it, but Hagrid clapped a hand on her shoulder, making her stumble. 

"There are dangerous creatures in those woods. If they can kill a unicorn, they could kill you too."

Anna could barely remember the rest of that horrible night in the weeks to come. She supposed that Hagrid had led her up to the castle. She must have climbed up the stairs to the Ravenclaw dorm, where she fell into bed, completely exhausted and unable to cry. The rest of May went by in a blur. Anna didn't pay much attention in her lessons. Her friends worried about her, but supposed she was still feeling badly about her locket. Anna, meanwhile, gazed out the windows during class, her sad eyes fixed on the Forbidden Forest.

Somehow, the forest hadn't felt quite right since Aurora's death. Perhaps it was just Anna's imagination, or maybe Hagrid was right, and evil was afoot. Anna would've thought it impossible for the Forbidden Forest to feel welcoming at any time, but she looked back fondly on those relatively innocuous days when she had been able to walk into the woods and find Aurora. Not that she was gone, an air of protection that had seemed to float over Anna was gone. But Anna must continue to visit Perseus. It was her duty to Aurora, she thought, a tear sliding down her cheek. 

"Anna?" Mandy questioning tone and concerned face tore her from her reverie. Anna attempted a smile. 

"Just thinking." She turned her face down to her transfiguration notes. She'd never been a very good liar. 

Her eyes flitted to the window again. _Tonight _she thought. _I'll go tonight._

Hours after the dorm had darkened, and the girls had all said their 'goodnights', one person was still wide awake. Anna sat in the darkness behind her curtains, shivering a bit. She'd been sitting in the same position for the past few hours, and her arms and legs were starting to ache. Her head hurt from listening to every little noise. She listened to the other girls even breathing and wondered what they were dreaming of.

Silently, she slid out of bed. The movements had become natural by now, and even if someone had had their ear pressed against the door, they would not have heard Anna slip on her cloak and slippers and pad quietly to the door. The common room seemed larger than ever as she descended the stairs; the stars on the ceiling glowed like tiny warnings. Anna was relieved when she got out into the hall, away from their brightness. 

The halls were silent, and seemed to lean in toward her like unfriendly stone faces. She hurried down the passages, hardly having to think about where she was going or what she was doing. It was something that had to be done; rules and warnings no longer mattered. 

Then, she was outside, facing the woods. She took one deep breath, closing her eyes. Then Anna rushed across the lawn, deep into the woods.

She found Perseus not far from the waterfall. She brightened as he snorted at her, as if to say _well, it's about time_. She ran to his side and threw her arms around his neck. His wings rustled as he nuzzled her back. She ran her hands through his mane, which was badly matted and full of burrs. 

"Come on," said Anna, tugging at his neck. "Let's get you cleaned up." 

She led him toward the sound of running water, stopping at the base of the falls. She sighed, remembering the first night Aurora had led her here. The glade was empty now. She kneeled down at the edge of the pool, cupping her hands full of water to rub away the black stains that marred Perseus's golden coat. She stopped in mid-motion as the pool before her began to change in color, darkening and swirling.

The water twisted, contorted into faces and patterns. Anna watched it, mesmerized. She reached a hand out toward the surface, ignoring the wary snuffs of Perseus from behind her. The little winged unicorn stamped his front feet nervously, watching his mistress as she bent closer to the water, her face only inches from the surface.

Anna felt safe enough, her arm was wrapped around a branch behind her so that she would not fall in. She bent so that her nose was almost even with the undulating surface. A familiar face was formed out of the water. Anna gasped. "Mother?" She reached her free hand out, her fingers grazing the surface of the water.

Just then the face changed, to one that was cold and cruel and mocking. It laughed, and watery arms grabbed Anna, yanking her support hand free of the tree branch. She was pulled down below the surface before she had a chance to react. The water pushed her round and round in it's funnel, sucking her down. She tried to grab at her wand, but it was no use. The edges of her vision began to fade from the lack of oxygen as the darkness pulled her down, down… It was swallowing her. Screams rang in her ears, along with a cold laugh. It was going to be the last sound she heard. The blackness was swallowing her.

But just then, when she had lost all hope, a pair of arms grabbed her. They were not remotely cold or watery, as the others had been, but solid, flesh and bone. The arms clasped her around the waist, pulling her up to the surface. With a sudden jolt, she was out. The water jumped at her, trying to pull her back down. But a female voice uttered a spell, and the water fell onto the suddenly flat surface, sparkling benignly in the moonlight. Anna gasped for breath as she stared down on the surface. Air poured into her lungs; she had never been so aware of breathing, never so happy for it, in her entire life. The earth below shook up and down. It was then Anna realized she was suspended in mid-air, hovering up and down. She looked up, and was met with a great flurry of silvery wings. The creature flew over to the bank, and deposited her gently. Perseus ran over to greet her, nuzzling her face with his warm nose. She sat up, clasping his neck with her arms. There was a great wind, and the creature took off, settling at the top of the waterfall. It was only then that Anna was able to look up and see what had rescued her.

A great white winged horse stood there, glowing like a unicorn. And indeed, from his head grew a single silver spiral. And on his back rode a slender young lady that Anna did not recognize. She had long auburn hair, and wore a serious expression. But as Anna gazed on her, she smiled.

"I envy you, Anna," she cried out. "You have so many adventures ahead of you."

"Who are you?" asked Anna, her choked voice echoing in the clearing. 

The lady only smiled. "You will know. In time." And with that, she tugged at the winged unicorn's golden bridle, and dove into the pool below the waterfall. For a moment, Anna gaped, then she stood, rushing forward to the water. But they were gone, horse and rider. Perseus trotted over to her side, looking intently to where the great creature had disappeared. 

Anna sat there for some time, not knowing what to think. She leaned over cautiously and looked at the water again. She could see her own reflection in its still, clear surface. Shaking slightly, she turned away. Perseus nudged her, and she clung to him for support. "What was that?" she asked him. He silently looked back at her with his large eyes. She hugged him tightly, then began picking the burrs out of his mane and dusting off the dark patches. She was not going near that water again. 

After a long while of just sitting there beside her, Perseus stood up. He began to trot off toward the path. Anna jogged to catch up with him, and they walked side by side, the small golden creature and the pale, wet girl. It was several minutes before Anna realized that he was walking her home, just as Aurora used to do. Tears pricked Anna's eyes and slowly slid down her cheeks. As they reached the edge of the forest, Perseus stopped. Anna knew this would be their last meeting for quite some time. She stroked his soft nose gently.

"Thank you, Perseus," she whispered.

Authors Note: I'm sorry this chapter wasn't very long, but I hoped you enjoyed it. I really wasn't planning on finishing 'Anna', so I want to thank those of you who made me reconsider, especially Amaya. It's great to have reviewers like you guys! I _am_ going to finish year one of 'Anna', as there's just one chapter left. I'll try to start on year two, but no guarantees there, as once school starts I know I'll be swamped with work. In any case, thanks for inspiring me and please stick in there!


	18. An End of a Beginning

An End of a Beginning

Anna slept all day Friday, not really worried about missing Defense Against the Dark Arts. However, she was woken early afternoon by pounding footsteps racing up the Ravenclaw stairs like a heard of small Erumpents. Anna lifted herself from her bed, bleary eyed, just in time to see Padma race round the corner, closely followed by the other three. They all scurried to Anna's bed, Mandy landing hard on Anna's knees. Anna winced. "Ouch, Mandy!" Then, looking at their faces – "Well, what is it?"

Lisa raised her eyebrows. "Wait till you hear what happened last night!"

Anna sat in rapt attention as the others proceeded to tell her about Professor Quirrell and Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone, her own secret adventure forgotten for the time being.

"We knew something was wrong this morning when Dumbledore came in and announced there would be no class today…"

"We would've told you sooner, but everyone was talking about it at lunch…"

"Can you _believe_ he was working for You-Know-Who?"

Ophelia shuddered, even though it was quite warm. The girls all exchanged a solemn look. A warm breeze blew in through the window, and the moment passed. Mandy walked over and leaned on the sill. "It's a lovely day," she commented, "and we have nothing better to do than sit outside." She grinned. "And drop that book, Ophelia. We're having none of that this afternoon. Besides, I know you've already read it."

For once, Ophelia went happily along with the plan.

It was a wonderful weekend, and to top it off, Saturday was the championship for the Quidditch Cup. It had almost been forgotten in all the excitement surrounding Quirrell's disappearance – almost. But come Saturday afternoon, the whole school was out at the Quidditch pitch, banners in hand. The Ravenclaw girls were decorated as usual with their blue ribbons, and Lisa had taken the liberty of charming her black school robes a deep blue. Padma had been worried about what the teachers would think, but as Flitwick saw them racing down the main staircase, he only grinned and waved a tiny hand. Sitting up high in the bleachers, Anna was on the edge of her seat, along with the rest of her house. Lee Jordan provided the commentary as usual.

"Gryffindor takes on reserve player Juliet Fawcett as the extra chaser, Angelina Johnson trades over to seeker for this match, as the usual Gryffindor seeker, Harry Potter, is out cold in the hospital wing." At this news, Anna started. She hadn't known Ophelia's sister was going to play. She glanced quickly at Ophelia, and was surprised to see her standing up, yelling, "Go Eagles!" at the top of her lungs along with the others. Anna smiled to herself. Felia had finally found her home at Hogwarts.

"And they're off!"

The game started faster than any of the games Anna had watched all year. Within the first minute, Phillip Phelps had scored. "Shake it off Wood," cried Lee. "Needless to say, Gryffindor is feeling a little shaky without their regular keeper, but should be able to pull through with the changes in their line-up."

Sure enough, at that moment, the Gryffindor chasers got possession of the Quaffle. The third girls passed off down the field. "Bell, to Fawcett… who deposits to Spinnet… and ALICIA SCORES! McKinnion wasn't set for that at all. Score is now even at ten."

Almost immediately, Katie Bells scored again. Anna glanced over to see Lisa with her fingers digging into her face. "We can't loose," she whispered. "Not this game." Anna nodded, and took Lisa's hand firmly in her own. 

Just then a streak of blue with light brown hair zoomed past. Anna watched, her mouth agape. "What's Roger doing?" 

It was clear enough after a moment, when he joined Phillip and Bridget at the goal. Bridget tossed him the Quaffle… Wood miscalculated… and in went the ball! "Davies scores… twenty-twenty. This is shaping up to be the game of the year!" proclaimed Lee.

"Only if Gryffindor wins," muttered Padma, her eyes still on the match. Lisa giggled. 

"Can you really blame him for rooting for his house?"

"No… we just need a Ravenclaw announcer to even things up."

But after the first ten minutes, Gryffindor began to lag. The Ravenclaw points racked up higher and higher as the game progressed. Gryffindor managed a single goal, but their game was going downhill with every Ravenclaw steal.

"But it can't _just_ be Harry Potter," said Lisa sensibly. "After all, he's only the seeker."

"It's the psychology of it," said Mandy, a manic gleam in her eye. "Potter's their golden boy. Without him, morale is down. They haven't even had time to practice this way… no offence, Felia. Julie's doing great. The team's just… down."

At that opportune moment, Bridget ducked a Weasley bludger to score yet another goal. Wood smacked his head against the goal post in frustration before roaring out more orders to his disheartened team. 

"What are we at now?" asked Anna meekly. "I've lost count."

"80-30… we're up, obviously."

Anna stared at Padma. She must have missed a lot. As exciting as Quidditch was, Anna still had a better time watching her friend's reactions than the actual game. She turned back to see a Ravenclaw chaser streaking up the field once more.

Roger and Phillip zoomed in to join Bridget. "What are they doing?" asked Anna. 

"Hawkshead Attacking Formation…" said Padma, not taking her eyes off the game. The chasers fly together – makes it easier to get the ball through a hoop."

"YES!" Mandy cheered as Roger tossed the Quaffle easily into the far left hoop. "Eighty more points, and we won't even have to worry about the snitch!"

Sure enough, the Ravenclaws scored again… and again…

"This is getting embarrassing," muttered Mandy as Phillip put yet another one past Wood, who looked ready to call it a day. Ophelia shot her a look. 

"This is getting embarrassing," muttered Lee Jordan, his voice still magnified for everyone to hear. "It's as if they're using us for a practice match." Oliver Wood turned away from the goals to glare at his fellow Gryffindor. "GO Gryffindor!" shouted Lee. 

But the Gryffindor team seemed to be falling apart. As soon as their chasers got the Quaffle, Sabrina or Silas would send a well-placed bludger their way. On the other end of the field, the Weasley twins were swinging away with a fury, but not hitting much of anything.

"Oh, nice try at a reverse pass there by Davies, but Dunstan didn't quite get her hands on it in time. The Quaffle is retrieved by Alicia Spinnet, who goes barreling down the field toward the goals… dodges a Rabnott bludger… passes off to Fawcett… McKinnion dives and JULIE FAWCETT SCORES! 40 to 120," he added as a sullen afterthought. "Anyway, great to see that her scoring abilities haven't gone rusty on the bench."

"GO JULIE!" screamed Ophelia, earning her several dirty looks from her housemates. The other girls looked at Ophelia, who covered her mouth and grinned.

At that moment, two streaking shapes at the far left of the pitch caught Anna's attention. The red player zoomed down the field, with the blue player right on her tail. The Gryffindor seeker dove. The Ravenclaw girls were on their feet, none of them knowing quite what to think.

Anna clapped her hands over her mouth as both players dived. Fifty feet from the ground, twenty… now they couldn't be any more than five feet from the pitch. Ophelia let out a gasp. But at that moment, Angelina pulled up, leaving Duncan Boothby in a difficult position. He was able to right his broom to keep from plummeting full force into the earth, but he did tumble off and go flying head over heels as the front end of his broom hit he ground. He pulled himself up, red faced, dusted himself off, and was up in the air again shortly. Meanwhile, Angelina had been scanning the air for the snitch, free from any interference. 

"Boothby feels the fool about now, I reckon," said Lee Jordan, sounding as if he was trying hard not to laugh. "Excellent Wronski Feint by Johnson, best I've seen at Hogwarts. Not sure if it was intentional, but great fake."

Just then, a murmur ran through the crowd. Boothby had been rising slowly, but suddenly, he had taken off down the field like a maniac. Angelina turned a one-eighty in midair and barreled down the field after him. But she was too late… Duncan soared up into the air, his fist clinched tightly around the golden snitch, and a wide smile plastered across his face. His teammates flew in to hug him as Angelina sagged dejectedly on her broom.

"Boothby catches the snitch, the match is called. Ravenclaw wins, 270 to 40. Good game, Ravenclaw," Lee added, with an air of tragic but noble defeat.

Anna glanced over at Ophelia, who was hugging Lisa tightly and laughing, and smiled. Padma reached over them to throw her arms around Anna, and Mandy was hopping up and down, yelling, "We won! We WON! I can't believe it… we WON against Gryffindor!"

It was a wonderful hour to be a Ravenclaw, and the mood continued through the following week. Ravenclaw placed second in house points, and everyone's moods were lifted when Professor Dumbledore announced a few last minute points that changed the winner of the house cup to Gryffindor.

"After all, being third isn't _too _bad when you consider they knocked Slytherin out of place," mused Mandy over her helping of treacle tart. 

"I still want to know what Dumbledore was going on about with Neville Longbottom," said Padma. "Who'd he stand up to? I suppose I'll have to ask Parvati."

"I wouldn't have suspected Ronald Weasley was so smart," said Ophelia, glancing over at the Gryffindor table. "I mean, we all know Hermione Granger's top of the year, and Harry Potter defeated the Dark Lord… but chess is _the _most difficult game to play."

"And he's got nice freckles…" murmured Lisa. She looked down at her plate as the girls all turned to stare at her and blushed. "Oh, come off it…" she said. "We all know he'll end up with Hermione Granger anyway."

And then there was the final meeting of the year. The girls all cried a bit (though Padma blamed it on an errant eyelash), and promised to owl one another, and vowed not to remove their necklaces for one moment all summer. Anna smiled softly as her hand brushed her locket. There were so many questions she had, all unanswered. Perhaps next year…

But there was something she had to do before leaving. The day before they were all scheduled to leave on the Hogwarts express, Anna found Hagrid, on his way to Dumbledore's office. She stopped him, tugging on the giant's coat, and feeling very small and childish next to him. 

"Hagrid – you won't forget to take care of Perseus, will you?"

The groundskeeper said nothing, but gave her a solemn wink before walking on. 

Come Friday, their bags were packed and ready to go. Notes were passed out, stating that under-aged wizards were not allowed to use magic over the holiday. Mandy looked supremely disappointed. They sailed across the lake in the little boats again. Anna turned back sadly, looking at Hogwarts as she had seen it for the first time. Ophelia laid a hand on her shoulder and smiled. 

"We'll be back before you know it."

Anna smiled back weakly. She hadn't mentioned her fear to any of the other girls. Would she be back?  She had supposed all this year that Witt meant for her to stay in Diagon Alley. But what if she was to be sent back to the Snydley-Pinkenweiler's? Anna would have given anything to see Linnea again, but she didn't know if she could stand a summer in that house after a year here… in this wonderful, magical world. It would be like waking from a wonderful dream. Anna hugged Greymalkin's basket to her tightly. 

All too soon, they reached the platform. It was a confused mess of first years and older students, who had obviously taken a different route to the station. Padma hoisted her trunk on end, and pushed it up the steps of the train with Mandy's help. Anna felt a knot rising in her throat. Lisa, who was carrying Isis's carrier under one arm, reached out and squeezed Anna's hand. 

"You will write, won't you?"

Anna nodded, and opened her mouth to speak, but just then a familiar, authoritative tone caught her mid-stride.

"Are you ready, Miss Moon?"

Anna turned, not trusting her hearing. Her face lit up, and she dropped her bags as she ran to hug the thin, elderly lady standing at the far end of the platform.

"Witt!" she cried, burying her face in the witch's robes. "Oh, it's so good to see you." 

"I'd imagine so by your reaction," she replied with a straight face. "I'd surmise you had an excellent year as well?"

"Oh, it's been glorious," breathed Anna. "And I have the best friends…" she stopped in the middle of her sentence. "Does this mean I should say goodbye to them now?"

Witt nodded. "I'll be waiting by the carriage." She gestured to a marvelous black contraption sitting down by the end of the track. 

Anna made her way slowly back to the train, where her friends were waiting with curious looks on their face. "Who's that?"

"That's Witt," said Anna. "She's wonderful."

"Oh," said Lisa. "So does this mean…"

"This is it?" blurted out Mandy. "Oh, Anna…" she reached over and hugged her. 

"I feel like I should be holding a gavel," said Padma morosely. "The meeting is now adjourned."

"Ah, but it will be picked up right where it was left off in September," said Ophelia. "Goodbye Anna."

The other girls chorused their goodbyes, and there were hugs, and tears all over again. The train's whistle sounded, and the four girls slowly made their way on to the train. The four other Ravenclaws leaned their heads out the window and waved until the train was a small speck in the distance. Anna sighed, and turned back to the carriage, where Witt was waiting with her luggage.

"Oh… thank you," said Anna when she noticed her trunk neatly propped up in the back compartment. Witt nodded.

"Step inside then."

"Where are we going?"

"Full of questions, aren't you? Very much like a Ravenclaw. We are returning to my home in Hogsmeade, where you will spend the summer."

Anna's eyes lit up at this. "Oh, Witt… thank you ever so much!"

Witt didn't respond, but Anna thought the old lady looked pleased as she turned to look out the window. After a moment, she spoke again.

"And yes, you may borrow my owl to mail your friends as soon as we reach the house. I expect you'll be very busy writing them this summer."

Anna grinned as she looked out the window and saw, far off in the distance, a red line chugging steadily through the hills. "Yes," she replied, almost to herself. "I certainly will be."

*                                  *                                  *                                  *

Well, that's it – for this year at least. Many, many, many loose ends. I know it; I'm cruel. But if I ever get around to writing the rest of the story, things will be explained. I hope you enjoyed what is here! Thanks _so_ much to those who reviewed over these past two years. You guys are what kept me going and made me finish. And most of all, thanks to J. K. Rowling, who created this wonderful world that we'd all like to live in, even if we are only able to through stories.


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